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Sustainability at NMSU and the President’s Climate Commitment

Sustainability at NMSU and the President’s Climate Commitment. Sustainability is a state of operations in which economic, social, and environmental needs of current generations are being met without negatively impacting the ability of future generations to meet their equivalent needs.

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Sustainability at NMSU and the President’s Climate Commitment

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  1. Sustainability at NMSUand the President’s Climate Commitment

  2. Sustainability is a state of operations in which economic, social, and environmental needs of current generations are being met without negatively impacting the ability of future generations to meet their equivalent needs Definitions

  3. Integrated planning is the process of linking vision, priorities, people, and the physical institution, in a flexible system of evaluation, decision-making and action to shape and guide the entire organization as it evolves over time, within and without its community Definitions

  4. Sustainability – “balance of flows” Regenerative – “giving more than it takes” Definitions

  5. Carbon footprint – the amount of carbon emissions generated over a specific time period. It accounts for one type of impact on the world – global warming Ecological footprint – measures the impact on the worlds biocapacity, or how much of the world it takes to sustain your lifestyle Definitions

  6. Carbon offset – a reduction credit often offered by an organization whose project can claim that less carbon emissions were released due to the project Definitions

  7. Climate Neutral – Having no net release of green house gas through elimination of sources or acquisition of carbon offsets Green house gas - Those gasses such as CH4, CO2, N2O, HFCs, PFCs and SF6 that cause global warming Definitions

  8. It is estimated that humans generate about 9 Gtons of carbon per year. The earth is absorbing about 5 Gtons per year. That leaves 4 Gtons per year in the atmosphere as green house gas that contributes to rising temperatures. Scientists estimate the total tonnage in atmosphere to be 300 Gtons. 570 Gtons will lead to a sustained rise of 2 degrees C. The Carbon Challenge

  9. The average ecological footprint in the United States is 24 acres per person. Worldwide there now exists 5.4 biologically productive acres per person. If everyone lived as we do we would need four planets. The Ecological Challenge

  10. A monthly electrical bill of $80 equates to 19,700 pounds of CO2 emitted per year Driving 200 miles per week equates to 11,800 pounds of CO2 emitted per year A household that does not recycle equates to 6,300 pounds of CO2 emitted per year Typical Sources of Carbon

  11. April 17th, 2007 President Michael V. Martin American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment NMSU’s Commitment

  12. Eliminate net green house gas emissions as soon as possible Presidents Climate Commitment

  13. Eliminate net green house gas emissions as soon as possible Create an institutional structure by June 17th, 2007 (Done) Presidents Climate Commitment

  14. Eliminate net green house gas emissions as soon as possible Create an institutional structure by June 17th , 2007 (Done) Complete a green house gas emission inventory by April 17th, 2008 Presidents Climate Commitment

  15. Make climate neutrality and sustainability a part of the curriculum and other educational experiences of all students Presidents Climate Commitment

  16. Make climate neutrality and sustainability a part of the curriculum and other educational experiences of all students Set target date, institutional action plan and interim milestones for climate neutrality by April 17th, 2009 Presidents Climate Commitment

  17. Make climate neutrality and sustainability a part of the curriculum and other educational experiences of all students Set target date, institutional action plan and interim milestones for climate neutrality by April 17th, 2009 Publish and post plans, goals and progress to date Presidents Climate Commitment

  18. All new construction and major renovations to be US Green Building Councils LEED Silver Certified or higher (Done) Presidents Climate CommitmentTangible Actions

  19. All new construction and major renovations to be US Green Building Councils LEED Silver Certified or higher (Done) Adopt an energy-efficient appliance purchasing policy requiring ENERGY STAR certified products (Pending) Presidents Climate CommitmentTangible Actions

  20. Establish a policy of offsetting all greenhouse gas emissions generated by air travel paid for by the institution Presidents Climate CommitmentTangible Actions

  21. Establish a policy of offsetting all greenhouse gas emissions generated by air travel paid for by the institution Encourage use and provide access to public transportation at the institution (Done) Presidents Climate CommitmentTangible Actions

  22. By April 2008, purchase at least 15% of electrical power from renewable sources (Seeking legislative support for both solar and wind energy projects). 15% of NMSU Las Cruces campus load is about 2 to 2.5 Mega Watts of power. Presidents Climate CommitmentTangible Actions

  23. By April 2008, purchase at least 15% of electrical power from renewable sources (Seeking legislative support for both solar and wind energy projects) Endowment portfolio investment strategy Presidents Climate CommitmentTangible Actions

  24. By April 2008, purchase at least 15% of electrical power from renewable sources (Seeking legislative support for both solar and wind energy projects) Endowment portfolio investment strategy Waste minimization component of the RecycleMania competition Presidents Climate CommitmentTangible Actions

  25. Cogeneration plant with thermal storage Recycling and composting operations Fleet composition and fueling sources Demonstration photovoltaic parking shade structure Other Past / Ongoing Initiatives

  26. Western water law of “use or lose” versus need to conserve Disconnect between capital funds and operational funds “life cycle cost models” Short Term Challenges

  27. Enable higher standards of living world wide through the ability to adapt new technologies Opportunities

  28. Enable higher standards of living world wide through the ability to adapt new technologies Support for new ways of thinking about our world and how we impact it Opportunities

  29. Enable higher standards of living world wide through the ability to adapt new technologies Support for new ways of thinking about our world and how we impact it Higher education will be the primary source of the solutions in addressing a defining challenge of the 21st century Opportunities

  30. Physical resource efficiency bordering on the fanatical Joint use of assets by competing entities Technology, technology, technology Integrated planning An Approach

  31. www.nmsu.edu/~energy NMSU Sustainability Website

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