Global Warming On Campus Combated With Carbon Reduction

Author: Nicholas Emery

Last week, the Community Council unanimously approved the Carbon Reduction Initiative (CRI), a plan proposed by the Environmental Council (EC) to significantly reduce Middlebury College's carbon emissions. The approval of this proposal authorizes the creation of a working group comprised of students, faculty, staff and administrators to design a carbon reduction plan for the College.
According to the Student Government Association (SGA) Director of Environmental Affairs Michael Silberman '03, carbon reduction is an "attempt to mitigate the effects of global warming by reducing emission of greenhouse-forming gasses." With the approval of the CRI, Middlebury joins many other institutions in recognizing the problem of global warming and setting a goal of carbon reduction.
The Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers targeted a 10 percent reduction below 1990 levels in greenhouse gas emissions. They have called on Middlebury College and other academic institutions to take the lead in this ambitious plan.
Last year, a task force from the EC examined the College's greenhouse gas emissions and completed an emissions inventory. The EC also communicated with other colleges and universities that were initiating similar campaigns to gather information on how Middlebury can create its own carbon reduction plan.
The working group created by the CRI is charged with three goals: to identify a specific carbon reduction goal for the College, to develop a specific carbon reduction plan that outlines the steps necessary to achieve this goal and to present a yearly report to the Environmental and Community councils on the progress they have made.
The goal of a Winter Term class taught by professors Jon Isham, assistant professor of economics and Lori Del Negro, visiting assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry, entitled "The Scientific and Institutional Challenges of Becoming Carbon Neutral," will be to create a list of carbon reduction options and present this list to the working group.
Global warming is an issue that has been hotly debated in the past; in recent years scientists around the world have recognized the grave danger it poses to the environment and humans. Global warming is the result of unnatural accumulation of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere. These extra gasses trap heat in the atmosphere and raise the average global temperature, which leads to destructive and abnormal weather patterns, rising sea levels and other climatic problems. These greenhouse gasses mainly originate from the burning of fossil fuels to power vehicles, heat buildings and water and power lights and appliances.
Middlebury College's carbon emissions increased a staggering 85 percent between 1990 and 2000 as a result of increased fossil fuel burning on campus. With the additional energy demands of new buildings in Ross Commons, Atwater Commons and the new Library and Technology Center, this percentage will presumably continue to rise if left unchecked.
In 1990 Middlebury produced more metric tons of carbon than Tibet, and in 2000 Middlebury produced more carbon emissions than many Caribbean islands.
Silberman warns that in Vermont the effects of global warming will manifest themselves in shorter ski seasons, severe reductions in sugar maple, limited fall foliage, an increase of warm-climate pests, northern migration of hardwood forests and loss of migratory bird species.
In addition to the CRI, Middlebury College has already taken several important steps to reduce its carbon emissions. The installation of energy efficient windows in new buildings, the use of recycled paper, low-flow shower heads, efficient fluorescent light bulbs, new water-saving and energy-efficient washing machines and campaigns to air dry clothes are important first steps toward reducing Middlebury's emissions of greenhouse gasses. Possible improvements could be the use of more energy-efficient vehicles and fuels and improvements to the heating systems of older buildings. The proposal presented to the Community Council states that "by undertaking a carbon reduction initiative, Middlebury will not only reaffirm its Environmental Peak of Excellence but also join ranks with other higher education institutions, municipalities, and the Conference of New England and Eastern Canadian Premiers who agree that the actions necessary to safeguard the immediate and long-term health of the global environment must begin locally."
Benjamin F. Wissler professor of physics Rich Wolfson, a climate expert, stated his concern about the issue of global warming in no uncertain terms: "It is a problem. It is real, and it's happening now."