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Planning Climate Action: A Practicum Course

Planning Climate Action: A Practicum Course. Neil Leary, Director Center for Sustainability Education Dickinson College. Dickinson College. SUST 301: Practicum in Sustainability. Goal – gain practical skills for creating a sustainable society Use campus or community as a living lab

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Planning Climate Action: A Practicum Course

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  1. Planning Climate Action: A Practicum Course Neil Leary, Director Center for Sustainability Education Dickinson College Dickinson College

  2. SUST 301: Practicum in Sustainability • Goal – gain practical skills for creating a sustainable society • Use campus or community as a living lab • Group or individual project • Identify & analyze a problem of sustainable planning or management • Develop & communicate solutions • Can be offered by any department Dickinson College

  3. SUST 301: Practicum in Sustainability • Crystalized Pedagogy, Environmental Studies, spring 2009. • Going Green at Dickinson, Int’l Business & Management, fall 2009 • Reducing Dickinson’s Carbon Footprint (spring 2011) • Living Well, Designing a Sustainable Residence Hall, Policy Studies, fall 2012 Dickinson College

  4. Spring 2011 offering: Reducing Dickinson’s Carbon Footprint Community Partners: • President’s Commission on Environmental Sustainability (PCES) • Office of Facilities Management Dickinson College

  5. Charges from PCES • Evaluate progress toward GHG reduction targets; • Assess adequacy of our Climate Action Plan; • Review institutional structures & procedures; • Identify & analyze additional measures; • Develop & present recommendations. Dickinson College

  6. Climate Action Plan Targets • 2020 • 25% GHG reduction from 2008 • Offset balance to be climate neutral • 2030 • 75% GHG reduction • Offset balance to be climate neutral Dickinson College

  7. How are we doing? Not so good. Path we are following Path we want to follow Dickinson College

  8. Course components • Reading & writing assignments • Clean Air Cool Planet calculator • Financial project analysis • Guest speakers • Site visits w/ facilities staff • Course project • Presentations • In class, to campus community, to PCES Dickinson College

  9. Readings • Rappaport & Creighton, Degrees that Matter • Simpson, Cool Campus! How to guide for college & university climate action planning, AASHE • EPA, Energy Star Building Upgrade Manual • Multiple climate action plans Dickinson College

  10. Task Groups • GHG trends, projections and targets • Lighting & supplemental loads • HVAC systems • Cogeneration & renewables • Space utilization & new buildings • Transportation • Carbon offsets • CAP implementation Dickinson College

  11. Key recommendations to PCES • Oversight, accountability • Interim targets • Larger role for PCES • Integrate CAP into decision making • Culture change • Communication • Energy monitoring • Explore and pursue options for • Energy conservation • Renewables & cogeneration • Optimize space utilization • Net-zero for any new buildings • Local carbon offsets • Dedicated fund for Climate Action Plan Dickinson College

  12. Outcomes for students • Produced work of which they are proud and and that is impacting the college positively. • Learned how to develop & support recommendations with analysis. • Gained skills in team work • Gained appreciation of the complexities of organizational behavior and institutional change. • Gained respect for the professionalism and technical knowledge of facilities staff. • Know that climate change is real and know how to take action to slow it. Dickinson College

  13. Pitfalls • Different expectations about what a practicum experience should be. • “Why aren’t we doing something?” • “Why are we reading about climate change and global ghg emissions?” • Frustration with lack of technical knowledge. • “We don’t have the technical competency to make recommendations about HVAC systems.” • “We can’t understand what Whitey says.” • “When we tell facilities staff our ideas, they say ‘done that’, ‘tried that’, ‘that won’t work’.” • Discomfort w/ taking responsibility for own learning. • “What do you mean you want me to talk to outside experts? Who do you want me to talk to?” • “The real world is messy. This is too hard.” Dickinson College

  14. Impacts on the college • PCES agreed to oversee CAP implementation, monitor progress. • CAP targets now commonly discussed in context of major capital projects. • Facilities Office investigating feasibility of net-zero ghg emissions for new building projects. • Facilities Office and CSE to investigate and pilot real-time energy monitoring. • Reviewing options for financing CAP projects, including a Green Revolving Fund. Dickinson College

  15. What are they doing now? • Lauren Bruns: starting up a campus bike co-op • Anthony Silverman: launched Idea Fund, a revolving green fund • Tim Damon: member PCES; steering committee of Dickinson SAVES; will attend COP 17 in Durban • Matt Gibbs: worked on sustainability plan for Logan Airport • Rich Lauvai: works in Biodiesel Shop • Megan Moody: sustainability intern; steering committee of Dickinson SAVES • Sam Parker: manages Biodiesel Shop; board member of Idea Fund; will attend COP 17 in Durban • Brett Shollenberger: just hired by GreenerU • Amanda Stevens: WRI staff, works on shale gas Dickinson College

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