Although 2040 seems far off, it’s considered “aggressive” in the context of the University’s Climate Action Plan [CAP].
25 years can be a difficult goal, said Nick Hennessy, director of sustainability, especially when the CAP plans to cut emissions by an average of four percent each year. However, Hennessy is hopeful that future technologies will aid in the University’s efforts.
“I would say that the date 2040 under the current technology would be difficult to reach, but we’re banking on the fact that there’s technological changes every year in renewable energy,” he said.
University Student Government member Matt Mazur helped work on the CAP and said he’s heard student input about the date being pushed up.
“We landed on 2040 even though it seems far off, it’s pretty aggressive,” he said. “It’s going to take a lot of effort and it’s not going to be easy.”
The University does updates on their emissions every two years, and Hennessy said this will aid in knowing where it stands in gaining carbon neutrality.
To succeed in being carbon neutral, the University needs to be reducing emissions in a way that counteracts the amount of emissions its producing, Hennessy said, which will make its net emissions zero.
According to the CAP, 50 percent of emissions are produced by electricity bought from the city, which Hennessy said is “predominately coal based.”
25 percent of emissions comes from natural gas generated by the University’s heat plant, according to the CAP. The other 25 percent comes from paper, waste, commuting and travel.
Some of the changes students can expect to see soon are changes from traditional lighting to LED lighting, Hennessy said.
“LED is coming on right now as a very powerful source of reduction,” he said. “We have seen that first hand with projects we’ve already done.”
He said also simply using less energy, such as turning off lights when not in use, is a key to becoming carbon neutral and is a way students can help with the initiative.
Sections of the University’s master plan is also helping out with the CAP’s goals, said Bruce Meyer, assistant vice president of campus operations.
He said the fact that buildings have been demolished cuts down on emissions because they’re no longer consuming energy. The renovations will also bring more efficient heating and cooling systems to buildings.
“Any time you update your buildings, you’re moving towards energy efficiency,” Meyer said. “Many of the buildings being renovated are 100 years old and the level of technology now in 2015 is substantially different now.”
If the CAP is to work, all members of the community need to contribute, Meyer said.
Mazur thinks efforts like these are not just important for schools, but for the world. He said everyone should care about sustainability.
“It won’t be one single group that will be responsible for the implementation,” he said. “It will be faculty, staff, students, the community. Anyone who’s part of the campus will be responsible for implementing and helping achieve carbon neutrality.”
Read more about the plan here
