2008 Woodie Awards
Working together to improve campus sustainability
Angela Moore and Lizza Vachon
Issue date: 2/22/08 Section: Sustainability
Many folks on campus let out a heartfelt "hurrah!" when Kent Chabotar signed the President's Climate Commitment (PCC) in 2007, which promised that Guilford College would become "carbon neutral". But what happened afterwards? What exactly does the term "carbon neutral" mean? And what steps is Guilford taking to actually commit?
To become carbon neutral, the campus will need to balance out the carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that are released as a result of campus activities; examples of emissions include carbon dioxide released from cars traveling to campus or in the effort to produce the energy to light and heat buildings on campus. The greenhouse gases emitted by the Guilford community contribute to the big issue of global warming.
This is where the community involvement becomes critical, if we are to actually curb our greenhouse gas emissions and move toward becoming carbon neutral. A team of Guilford students, staff, and faculty are currently working together to estimate the amount of greenhouse gases (GHG's) released every year by the Guilford community. The inventory will help us identify where and how our emissions are produced, and will help guide the action plan Guilford will develop to explain how we will achieve carbon neutrality.
As an institution focused on transformative education, it makes sense that students are significantly involved in the GHG inventory. This is an excellent example of students connecting directly into the concept of principled problem solving, with a focus on improving our stewardship of natural resources and the environment.
The team responsible for estimating the GHG's emitted as a result of commuter transportation, for example, is composed of Vicki Foust, visiting professor of business management, and students from the French (Judith Scoville), geology (Nathan Lyons), history (Abbie Rogers), and music (Claudia Lange) departments. Students and faculty have been working together to research the methods other schools have used for GHG inventories, and are developing a survey and other methods to collect the needed data. Students, faculty, and staff are already busy and have responsibilities other than the PCC project, but those involved feel that it is important enough to fit it into their tight schedules.
To become carbon neutral, the campus will need to balance out the carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that are released as a result of campus activities; examples of emissions include carbon dioxide released from cars traveling to campus or in the effort to produce the energy to light and heat buildings on campus. The greenhouse gases emitted by the Guilford community contribute to the big issue of global warming.
This is where the community involvement becomes critical, if we are to actually curb our greenhouse gas emissions and move toward becoming carbon neutral. A team of Guilford students, staff, and faculty are currently working together to estimate the amount of greenhouse gases (GHG's) released every year by the Guilford community. The inventory will help us identify where and how our emissions are produced, and will help guide the action plan Guilford will develop to explain how we will achieve carbon neutrality.
As an institution focused on transformative education, it makes sense that students are significantly involved in the GHG inventory. This is an excellent example of students connecting directly into the concept of principled problem solving, with a focus on improving our stewardship of natural resources and the environment.
The team responsible for estimating the GHG's emitted as a result of commuter transportation, for example, is composed of Vicki Foust, visiting professor of business management, and students from the French (Judith Scoville), geology (Nathan Lyons), history (Abbie Rogers), and music (Claudia Lange) departments. Students and faculty have been working together to research the methods other schools have used for GHG inventories, and are developing a survey and other methods to collect the needed data. Students, faculty, and staff are already busy and have responsibilities other than the PCC project, but those involved feel that it is important enough to fit it into their tight schedules.
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