This year, a US national security report labeled climate change as “an urgent and growing threat to our national security.” While climate change is a natural occurrence, there is much evidence to show that humans have greatly increased the rate of climate change. This increased rate is largely due to the increase of atmospheric greenhouse gases, released by human activity. Greenhouse gases essentially trap heat in the lower atmosphere, which contributes to a rise in temperatures. Climate change is a global issue, one that will affect every corner of the earth. The College has been one of many institutions of higher education to take a leading role in addressing climate change.
A Goal of Carbon Neutrality
On May 5, 2007, the Trustees adopted the Resolution on Achieving Carbon Neutrality by 2016. Carbon neutrality is defined as net zero carbon emissions, which requires that an institution “remove” as much carbon dioxide equivalent from the atmosphere as it emits.
In the resolution, the Trustees wrote that “a goal of carbon neutrality for Middlebury College by 2016, while challenging, is feasible through energy conservation and efficiency, renewable fuel sources, technology innovations, educational programming and learning, and offset purchases after all other feasible measures have been taken.” With 2016 right around the corner, it is time to consider where the College is on its quest for carbon neutrality, and what can still be done to further its environmental mission.
The Climate Action Plan (CAP), adopted in 2008, targeted heating and cooling, electricity, vehicles, college travel, and waste minimization as areas in which the College could reduce net emissions to progress towards carbon neutrality. At the time of the report, heating and cooling made the largest contribution to emissions at 89 percent, travel and vehicles came in a distant second at nine percent, and electricity and waste accounted for only one percent of emissions each. Since the CAP went into effect, the College has made strides to reach carbon neutrality and reduce emissions in each of these areas.
Waste
Emissions from decomposing waste comprised only one percent of the College’s total emissions in 2008. These emissions result from waste decomposing in landfills or being burned, both of which release greenhouse gases.
All of the College’s waste is already sorted in the recycling center, recycling as much as possible.
Recommendations to further reduce waste included integrating waste minimization and sustainable practices into the residential life system, and creating a service requirement for first-years in the dining halls or recycling center to develop an understanding of the waste generated by the College.
To address emissions from waste, the College has increased signage promoting sustainable practices on campus and conducted campaigns to raise student awareness about waste. However, the student body is still largely unaware of the College’s waste because the waste management is so far removed from students. Though educating the student body would be valuable, the low level of emissions from waste have, understandably, ensured that it is not a top priority.
Vehicle Emissions
Vehicle emissions and emissions from travel make up another nine percent of the College’s greenhouse gas emissions. Travel and vehicle usage are necessary for the function of the College, and so these emissions cannot be eliminated within the confines of modern technology. To reduce emissions from travel, the CAP advised increasing education about the impacts of travel, stressing videoconferencing as an alternative to traveling and upgrading the vehicle fleet to more energy efficient vehicles.
Since 2008, the College has seen an increase in greenhouse gas emissions from waste and air travel, but a decrease in emissions from mobile combustion (which include road vehicles and construction equipment).
In 2007, the College estimated that it generated 137 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCDE) due to solid waste. By 2014, that number had increased slightly to 153 MTCDE. Emissions from air travel increased more dramatically over this same period, from 1381 MTCDE in 2007 to 2346 MTCDE in 2014. Emissions from mobile combustion have decreased from 408 to 370 MTCDE.
In light of the increasing size of the student body, it is admirable that emissions from waste and mobile combustion have not risen significantly. Air travel is a much larger contributor to the College’s emissions, though, and yearly emissions have increased by almost 1000 MTCDE since 2007.
The College has certainly made progress since 2007, but student awareness about emissions is still lacking and emissions from air travel have increased dramatically.
Electricity
Emissions from purchased electricity accounted for only one percent of the College’s overall emissions in 2008. By 2014, this figure had risen to almost seven percent. This increase in percentage was largely due to a decrease in net emissions from heating and cooling. However, emissions from purchased electricity did rise from 676 MTCDE in 2007 to 864 tons in 2014.
Of the 22 million kilowatt hours of electricity the College uses each year, 20 percent is cogenerated on campus by turbines connected to the central heating plant. The remaining 80 percent of the College’s electricity is purchased from Green Mountain Power (GMP). This purchased electricity accounts for the greenhouse gas emissions from electricity, because the electricity the College purchases from GMP is not necessarily from carbon neutral sources.
Until 2013, 70 percent of Vermont’s power came from nuclear energy, which is carbon neutral. Much of the rest of the state’s electricity came from hydropower, another source of clean energy. The Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant, which supplied most of Vermont’s nuclear power, shut down in late 2014. The Entergy Corporation, which operated the power plant, cited economic reasons for closing the plant. Consequently, GMP has had to purchase electricity from other sources.
GMP predicts that only 55 percent of its fuel mix in 2015 will be renewable, coming from nuclear and hydroelectric sources. The other 45 percent will consist mainly of “system” power, which comes from various sources, including fossil fuels. In calculating carbon emissions from purchased electricity, the College must consider the ultimate source of its electricity.
Since 2007, carbon emissions due to purchased electricity at the College have risen by 188 MTCDE, nearly 30 percent. Though only a small contribution to the College’s overall carbon emissions, the College should continue to investigate ways to reduce these emissions. To help reduce net emissions from electricity, the CAP recommended conservation as well as investigating alternative energy sources, such as wind and solar power.
In 2012 the College installed a small 143kW demonstration solar system near McCardell Bicentennial Hall, which consists of 34 solar trackers. In total, the system produces about 200,000 kilowatt-hours annually: one percent of the College’s total electricity consumption. The system generates enough electricity to power Forest Hall.
Solar power is inherently renewable, and thus an excellent option to offset the College’s energy usage. However, current solar technology is not conducive to power generation at the scale necessary for the College. The College should continue to pursue conservation and other efforts to reduce overall electricity usage.
Heating and Cooling
The largest contribution to the College’s carbon emissions comes from heating and cooling. In 2008, heating and cooling constituted 89 percent of the College’s emissions. Most of the emissions came from the combustion of no. 6 fuel oil to heat and cool buildings; the College was burning about 2,000,000 gallons per year, which released 23,877 MTCDE in 2006-07. Another 2,009 MTCDE came from the combustion of no. fuel oil, and 623 from propane.
The CAP clearly stressed the need to use carbon neutral fuel sources to heat and cool the campus if the College is to reach carbon neutrality by 2016.
The College’s $12 million biomass plant, opened in 2009, was a major step toward reducing net emissions from heating and cooling the College. The biomass plant burns wood, which the College considers a carbon neutral fuel source because the same amount of carbon dioxide is absorbed by the trees as is released in combustion. The plant utilizes a process known as biomass gasification to combust woodchips, which is much more efficient than traditional methods of burning wood. The heat generated from this combustion is used to make steam, which is piped throughout the campus to meet the College’s heating and cooling needs.
While the net emissions from the biomass plant are zero, this does not mean it has no emissions. The emissions from the plant are somewhat lower than those from burning fuel oil, and emissions resulting from chipping and transporting the wood to the biomass facility are not factored into the assessment of carbon neutrality.
Unfortunately, the biomass plant is not large enough to meet all of the College’s heating and cooling needs. In addition to biomass combustion, the College still burns 640,000 gallons of no.6 fuel oil each year. To address this issue, the College is undergoing a switch to burning bio-methane instead of fuel oil.
The use of bio-methane was made possible by the approval of the VT Gas Addison Rutland Natural Gas Project (Phase 1). Bio-methane is chemically equivalent to natural gas, and is produced by the digestion of organic waste.
A spur on the new natural gas pipeline from Colchester, VT to the Addison and Rutland area will allow the College to easily transport bio-methane to campus. The bio-methane will be produced offsite, at a local dairy farm. The use of bio-methane to phase out fuel oil is very important because the College considers bio-methane a carbon neutral fuel, and thus its use will greatly reduce the College’s net emissions from heating and cooling.
The College has also made strides to reduce emissions from heating and cooling by improving building efficiency.
In 2007, a survey of buildings at the College indicated that 53 percent of the square footage on campus performed well below current energy code standards. Since then, the College has had two buildings receive Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification, and is seeking LEED Gold certification for Virtue Field House.
The College’s efforts have resulted in a 66 percent reduction in net emissions from stationary combustion sources, such as boilers, heaters and ovens, since 2007. From 2013 to 2014, the College emitted a net of only 8,996 MTCDE due to stationary combustion, as compared to 26,509 MTCDE in 2006 to 2007. However, biogenic emissions — those due to combustion of biologically based materials (wood) — from 2013 to 2014 were 21,658 MTCDE. This is not counted in the College’s assessment of net emissions from stationary combustion because it is considered carbon neutral. Though the College may exclude these emissions, the carbon neutrality of biomass combustion is disputed by many.
Our Carbon Footprint
In 2014, the College reported gross emissions of 8,996 MTCDE from stationary combustion, 370 from mobile combustion, 864 from purchased electricity, 2,346 from air travel, and 153 from solid waste. This amounts to total emissions of 12,729 MTCDE. The College also included reductions of 10 MTCDE due to purchase of renewable energy credits (RECs), 550 from carbon offsets purchased, and 9,905 MTCDE from sequestration due to college-owned lands. In all, this amounted to a reported net emissions of 2,264 MTCDE.
The College’s many efforts, especially the switch to bio-methane for heating and cooling, will further decrease the net carbon emissions for 2016. If necessary, the College can purchase carbon offsets in order to meet its goal. In assessing its greenhouse gas emissions, the College employs a custom tool tailored to its needs. It is worthwhile to note that other methods of assessing emissions may yield drastically different results.
Carbon neutrality, though an important step for the College, is by no means an end goal. As 2016 draws closer, it is time to begin discussion of the next steps. The College should continue to demonstrate leadership by further reducing its environmental impact.
The College’s quest for carbon neutrality came about because of the actions of a dedicated group of students, faculty, and staff, who challenged the College to adopt an ambitious goal. Those students have long since left Middlebury and ventured into the world; now, it is our turn to take up the mantle, and push the College to new heights.
It is easy to look at the issue of climate change and give up because it is so daunting, but every great change begins with small actions. It is unrealistic to expect that everyone will consider the gravity of this issue and take action. I hope, however, that we will continue to consider the impact of our actions, from reducing the use of vehicles to turning out the lights. As you go about your daily life, take a moment to consider the following question: What can you do to live more sustainably? Every action, no matter how small, makes a difference.
Carbon Countdown: Neutral By The New Year?
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