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Sustainability Office
Weyerhauser 17
1600 Grand Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55105
651-696-6019
Comments & questions to:
shansen2@macalester.edu
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President's Climate Commitment Update
Commitment
In 2007, President Rosenberg signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment which commits us to make a plan to become climate neutral (i.e. no net greenhouse gas emissions). The commitment also requires us to annually audit our greenhouse gas emissions, develop institutional structures to support the project, implement two immediate actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and develop a plan with targets and timetables.
Immediate Actions
A Presidents Climate Commitment Committee formed in 2007. The two immediate actions that we took to reduce greenhouse gas emissions were: 1) offer subsidized (50% off retail) bus passes for students, staff and faculty 2) purchase only energy star appliances, where these appliances are available.
The bus pass program started in February, 2008. Each bus pass purchaser was asked to fill out a survey. As of April 18, 2008, we received 323 surveys (242 from students, 31 from staff/faculty, and 52 of unknown status). From our survey, we determined that 158 people were planning to increase bus ridership and 177 were continuing ridership as usual. The survey showed that the total miles per week increase in ridership is 2107 miles/week. If we assume that all of the increased miles would otherwise be driven alone in a car, the bus riders will have avoided 2,022.7 lbs CO2e/week. If we assume that the riders continue to ride the bus at the same rate over the academic year, 78,958 lbs CO2e would be avoided over the academic year.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory
Our initial greenhouse gas emissions audit was completed during the spring of 2008 as a class project by the environmental studies senior seminar. The class analyzed the greenhouse gas emissions of the college from 1990-2006. According to the report, Macalester produced 27 thousand metric tons of CO2-equivalents (eCO2) in 2006 -- of which 11.9 thousand metric tons came from electricity; 9 thousand came from the campus steam plant used for heating; and 5.2 thousand came from work-related air travel of faculty and staff. The audit will be submitted to the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment in September 2008. read complete report»
Governance
In the spring of 2008, the Presidents Climate Commitment Committee merged with the Environmental Issues Committee to form the Sustainability Advisory Committee. The Sustainability Advisory Committee will begin meeting in the fall of 2008. During 2008-2009, the Sustainability Advisory Committee will oversee the development of a Sustainability Plan, which will include the greenhouse gas emissions reduction plan.
Staff
Sustainability Manager Suzanne Savanick Hansen, hired in January of 2008, will shepherd the planning and implementation of the Presidents Climate Commitment and the comprehensive sustainability plan. Sustainability Associate Justin Lee ’08 will assist with the planning and implementation of the plan. He was also a member of the environmental studies senior seminar class that developed the greenhouse gas emissions inventory. |
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