President Jim Brenneman
September 16, 2009
President James E. Brenneman has finalized Goshen College’s Climate Action Plan and submitted it to the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). The plan documents the college’s commitment to reducing campus greenhouse gas emissions and outlines initiatives designed to achieve an overall goal of climate neutrality as well as a set of steps that will teach students the skills they will need to help society do the same.
“Climate change presents us with a societal emergency and a moral imperative for innovation,” said President Brenneman. “The campus has made good progress in the last 20 years in conserving energy use, but much more can be done to reduce the college’s negative impact on the earth’s climate. This climate action plan represents a significant effort toward responsible global citizenship, one of Goshen College’s core values.”
The plan to reduce the college’s carbon impact to zero includes exploring creative ways to reduce the carbon-based energy usage; pursuing alternative carbon-free energy sources; and promote carbon sequestration, credits or offsets.
For example, this year when the college’s fleet of cars needed to be replaced, used vehicles with better gas mileage were purchased to help achieve some ecological goals. Other potential ideas for the future include all new construction being LEED certified, installing solar hot water collectors in the Recreation-Fitness Center, expanding production of biodiesel from used cooking oil, reducing dependence on petroleum-based fertilizers, installing wind generators and purchasing “green” electricity.
The college’s climate action plan is expected to be primarily a self-funded effort. The creation of a Revolving Assets for Sustainability Projects will help with this. It will fund renewable energy, energy efficiency and other cost-saving projects. Through a revolving mechanism that draws operational cost-savings from projects funded, the fund will replenish itself while still providing cost savings to the college.
“We intend to monitor the Goshen College carbon footprint annually, to communicate progress in carbon reduction widely and to create deeper campus commitment to the cultural change that will be required to reach our goal of zero carbon impact on the earth’s climate,” said Glenn Gilbert, Goshen College sustainability coordinator and utilities manager. He is a member of the college’s Ecological Stewardship Committee, which includes both faculty and students.
The climate action plan notes that during 2008-09, Goshen College was responsible for the net emissions of approximately 9,500 metric tons of carbon dioxide, which is about 10.4 metric tons per student. Scientists say that greenhouse gas emissions are changing climates, threatening the planet’s ecosystems and its economy and threatening many lives.
The college has already made impressive progress in reducing emissions. The campus has been able to reduce emissions generated by natural gas consumption by more than one percent per year for more than 10 years. It has reduced emissions generated by electrical consumption by more than three percent per year for the past seven years.
In the spring of 2007, President Brenneman became a charter signatory to the ACUPCC, the second higher education institution in Indiana to sign the landmark climate commitment.
Six hundred and fifty college and university presidents have joined the ACUPCC, a comprehensive climate change initiative through which schools are committing to neutralize greenhouse gas emissions on their campuses, dedicate research and programs to the development of climate change solutions, and train their students to address the climate crisis upon graduation.
“I congratulate Goshen College on its commitment to climate neutrality and for contributing to this first sector-wide effort at creating climate action plans,” said Toni Nelson, program director of the ACUPCC. “The collective impact of schools throughout the nation fighting climate change is tremendous.”