President William G. Durden signed the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment in 2007. As required by the commitment, the college submitted its first inventory of greenhouse gas emissions in 2008 and a Climate Action Plan was approved in 2009, which set 2020 as a target date for reducing emissions of greenhouse gases 25 percent and offsetting the balance of our emissions to become a climate neutral campus. With support of a grant from NASA, Dickinson is also leading a multi-college project to integrate interdisciplinary teaching about climate change into the liberal arts curriculum. For all this, we received a Climate Leadership Award in 2010 from Second Nature.
One year later, greenhouse gas emissions have increased 5.5 percent. What went wrong? What steps are needed to get us back on track? What actions can deliver significant emission reductions at acceptable cost? How are perceived needs for new facilities to be balanced against our responsibilities to combat climate change? These and similar questions have been the focus of study of students in a new course, Practicum in Sustainability: Reducing Dickinson’s Carbon Footprint.
Students in the course were formally charged by the President’s Commission on Environmental Sustainability (PCES) with the tasks of conducting the first review of Dickinson’s Climate Action Plan and recommending actions for reaching zero net emissions of greenhouse gases. Taking up this charge, the students have dug into our greenhouse gas inventory to understand the causes of the emissions growth. They have met with facilities staff, visited our central energy plant, and toured new and renovated buildings that have earned LEED Gold certification. They have learned what the college is already doing and thought deeply about what more can be done to reduce emissions. They have reviewed the climate action plans of more than twenty other colleges and universities, consulted with experts, and researched a variety of options for conserving energy, adopting energy efficiency technologies, switching to renewable energy resources, and changing behaviors.
Drawing on these efforts, the students are developing recommendations for lighting and other electricity loads; heating, ventilation and air conditioning; transportation; renewable energy and cogeneration; space utilization and new buildings; carbon offset projects; and processes for implementing and monitoring the climate action plan. The students are organizing activities for the end of the semester to raise awareness about climate change and Dickinson’s Climate Action Plan. On May 4, 2011, they will present their findings and recommendations to PCES, a commission composed of senior officers of the college, faculty, staff and students. PCES will consider the recommendations over the summer and deliberate on revising the Climate Action Plan in Fall 2011. The expectation is that the students’ work will have a lasting impact on the college that will advance us toward climate neutrality.
The course Practicum in Sustainability, led by Center for Sustainability Education director Neil Leary, uses the real world as a living laboratory in which students engage in solving pressing problems. The first offering of the course has focused on climate action planning for the college. In future, other problems will be tackled. The approach pushes both students and instructor to work collaboratively in analyzing a complex problem, synthesizing and applying knowledge from multiple fields, weighing different perspectives, coping with uncertainty, and learning in new ways. Missteps are unavoidable, but the lessons promote competencies for building a sustainable future.
Members of the course organized into teams to analyze different aspects of climate action planning for the college:
- GHG emission trends, projections and targets: Esther Babson, Tim Damon, and Rosy Link
- Energy conservation – lighting and supplemental loads: Dan Kraver, Rich Lauvai, and Kent Pecora
- Energy conservation – heating, cooling and air circulation: Lauren Bruns, Brian Sandrib, and Brett Shollenberger
- Cogeneration and renewable energy: Tanya Bellingham, Heather Livingston, an Dan Vickery
- Space utilization and new buildings: Melissa Kelly, Maggie Rees, and Anthony Silverman
- Transportation: Avery McGuire, Sam Parker, and Kristina Snurkowski
- Carbon offsets: Megan Randall and Amanda Stevens
- CAP implementation, monitoring and financing: Charlie Alcorn, Matt Gibbs, and Megan Moody
You may download the course syllabus and Dickinson’s Climate Action Plan and Greenhouse Gas Inventory here: