DRAFT Climate Action Plan Lebanon Valley College February 2019

1. DRAFT Climate Action Plan Lebanon Valley College February 2019 Environmental Sustainability Advisory Committee Sustainability Initiatives Web Site

2. Reading the LVC Climate Action Plan • The Climate Action Plan for Lebanon Valley College is presented here in its entirety as a PowerPoint document. • Slides in this plan present narrative explanations, background information, key aspects of the plan, tables, graphs, data, possible implementation strategies, and projections. • Slides contain hyperlinks (underlined) to external web-based information and to other slides in this action plan. • Navigation through the plan will involve both advancing slides and using hyperlinks. You will begin by advancing slides and be prompted when to use hyperlinks only.

3. Executive Summary Lebanon Valley College, seeking to significantly reduce its impact on the Earth’s climate system, has developed a Climate Action Plan (CAP) that lays out a multi-decade strategy to transform how the College acquires and uses energy. In response to President Lewis Thayne signing the American College & University Presidents Climate Leadership Commitmenton Earth Day 2016, the College will work to eliminate its direct and indirect emissions of greenhouse gases and, simultaneously, to strengthen its resilience in the face of an increasingly disruptive climate. The Climate Action Plan is based on a collaborative approach, in which a new Environmental Sustainability Officer and the College’s Environmental Sustainability Advisory Committee will work closely together and, as appropriate, with students, faculty, administrators, and staff to meet the twin goals of carbon neutrality and institutional resilience by: • Employing student interns to annually measure College greenhouse gas emissions, assessing progress and identifying areas of needed action, • Enlisting faculty, students, and staff in appropriate departments to actively identify and evaluate emerging green energy technologies for potential use by the College, • Working with the Facilities Services Office of the College to substantially reduce energy usage on campus and to gradually replace existing fossil fuel-based technologies used in heating and transport with green energy alternatives, • Incentivizing the transition from internal combustion engines to electric drive for College vehicles and for the privately-owned vehicles of regular college commuters, • Enlisting faculty and students in appropriate disciplines to develop financial models for implementing new technologies, models that provide initial costs, opportunities for external funding, expected longer-term savings, and lengths of payback periods,

4. Executive Summary (Continued) • Participating in the development of local green energy installations, when possible with community partners, from which the College can purchase carbon-free energy, and which will provide local sourcing of energy in times of emergency, • Working with the Advancement Office of the College in developing, via grants and donations, a Green Fund to assist in funding the proposed green energy transition, • Coordinating with the Faculty and the Student Affairs Office of the College to promote a change in attitudes and priorities on campus as related to environmental sustainability, thereby building a long-term institutional commitment to the goals of the Climate Action Plan, • Tasking the Environmental Sustainability Officer and the Environmental Sustainability Advisory Committee to jointly serve as staunch advocates for the Climate Action Plan in ongoing campus decision-making and strategic planning, The Climate Action Plan is intentionally flexible and does not specify a fixed path forward. Rather, the plan elaborates clear and specific goals, but with fluid and adaptable mechanisms to meet those goals. The plan anticipates that technology will move quickly, altering the energy landscape in as little as one decade. Thus, building into the plan the flexibility to consider and respond to change is essential. By successfully implementing the Climate Action Plan, Lebanon Valley College will strengthen its future as a resilient institution by eliminating its emissions of climate-changing greenhouse gases, gaining new local green energy sources for enhanced energy security, and reducing its energy costs overall. The College will earn a local and national reputation as a climate leader and responsible entity, attracting environmentally-minded students from all disciplines and producing environmentally-responsible graduates.

5. Introduction Climate scientists worldwide have reached near-universal consensus that human-caused greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the extraction and combustion of fossil fuels are radically disrupting Earth’s climate systems. Rising temperatures, more intense heat waves, melting glaciers and ice caps, thawing permafrost, rising seas, more severe storms – these are among the many ripple effects set in motion by anthropogenic climate change, effects that promise to endure for centuries, even millennia. On April 22, 2016 – Earth Day – Lebanon Valley College President Lewis E. Thayne signed the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Leadership Commitment. Joining almost 500 other colleges and universities across the United States in a long-term commitment to achieve carbon neutrality and strengthen institutional resilience, Lebanon Valley College stands at the forefront of a global movement in higher education to transform how we acquire and use energy and relate to the non-human natural environment. Equipping our students to be “world ready” in the twenty-first century means preparing them for the realities of global climate disruption. Indeed, students today have a vested interest in this issue as they and their children will experience much greater effects of climate disruption in the decades ahead. President Thayne’s signed commitment offers LVC a unique opportunity to lead in addressing what is arguably one of the most critical challenges to face human civilization.

6. American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment This network of colleges and universitieswaslaunched in 2006 to provide climate leadership by: • neutralizing emissions of greenhouse gases • equipping graduates to help re-stabilize the earth’s climate Currently there are close to 500 institutions, ranging from major universities to small colleges, as active signatories to the ACUPCC initiative The Presidents' Climate Leadership Commitments (SecondNature.org)

7. Presidents’ Climate Leadership Commitments On Earth Day of 2016, President Thayne signed the Presidents’ Climate Leadership Commitment on behalf of LVC. This Climate Commitment includes both a Carbon Commitment and a Resilience Commitment, as defined on the next slide. This signing offers LVC a unique opportunity to lead in addressing a critical challenge facing humanity down the road. And in leading, we will transform how we acquire and use energy and relate to our environment. An empowering commitment that can engage and energize our LVC community! By April 22, 2019, LVC will develop a Climate Action Plan to achieve carbon neutrality and strengthen institutional resilience.

8. Definitions of the Carbon and Resilience Commitments Carbon Neutrality - Net amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere by the direct and indirect activities of an institution will be reduced to zero over time. Institutional Resilience – Infrastructure and attitudes will be developed to maintain a long-term carbon commitment and to thrive in a rapidly changing climate and its associated disruptions.

9. Climate Change is Increasingly Disruptive Worldwide • 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 were the four warmest years in the historical record, and temperatures will continue to rise • Powerful oceanic storms feed off very warm sea surface waters • Arctic is warming rapidly, disrupting the Polar Jet Stream • Warmer atmosphere holds more water, producing more flooding • Faster evaporation from warmer land produces more intense droughts and wildfires • Rising sea levels threaten low-lying costal areas • More intense heat waves threaten lives and may make certain regions uninhabitable See:Effects of Climate Change

10. Climate Change is Increasingly Disruptive Locally The largest climate-based disruptions in Lebanon County have been floods associated with ever more frequent episodes of heavy rainfall (see flood chart at right –only major floods, >17 feet, are shown). Very recently heavy rains, on top of an already high water table, have caused significant water damage at LVC in the Lynch Building and Mund College Center.

11. A Growing Sense of UrgencyWorldwide Threat Assessment – Presented to Congress by Dan Coats, Director of National Intelligence, February 2018 • "Extreme weather events in a warmer world . . . . raise the risk of humanitarian disasters, conflict, water and food shortages, population migration, labor shortfalls, price shocks, and power outages" • "Accelerating biodiversity and species loss . . . .will jeopardize vital ecosystems that support critical human systems." • Water scarcity and disease outbreaks, two problems related to climate change, also pose risks. So does the most striking sign of the upheaval, waves of refugees displaced by complex stresses of climate, disease, poverty and other destabilizing factors, the report warned. See World Wide Threat Assessment Summary

12. Students Demand Action Asking for carbon neutrality in Massachusetts institutions by 2050 (See AP Report)

13. Process of Developing ClimateAction Plan • The Environmental Sustainability Advisory Committee (ESAC) of the College was tasked by President Lewis Thayne with developing a Climate Action Plan for Lebanon Valley College. • The ESAC convened a Climate Action Plan (CAP) Committee to develop the plan and report back to the ESAC at regular intervals. The CAP Committee has prepared a final draft of the plan for adoption by Board of Trustees in Spring 2019. • The composition of the CAP Committee that developed this plan is shown on the next slide. The committee is broadly composed, with members from all major stakeholder groups. • The CAP sponsored two Mini-Symposia in January 2018 to present relevant information to committee members and to provide a forum of climate/energy issues that was open to the college community. • On April 10, 2018, the CAP subcommittee presented a framework for the climate action plan at an open meeting in the Bishop Library, with approximately 50 students, faculty, staff, and administrators in attendance. • A CAP Committee timeline and the most current version of plan are provided under the Climate Action Plan Link of the Sustainability Initiatives web page.

14. Climate Action Plan Subcommittee of the Sustainability Advisory Committee Students: Kelly Jacobs* (‘18) Gabrielle Cressman (‘20) Alexander Bushong* (‘18) Emilie Vicario (‘19) Staff: Michael Zeigler (Office of Information Technology) Jay Lohman* (Residential Life) Carrie Coryer* (MSE & STEM-based Programs) Dan Nye (Facilities Services) Kymberly Wentsler (Metz Culinary Management) Timothy Hartlieb (Metz Culinary Management) Faculty: Michael Schroeder (History) Kshama Harpankar (Economics; Environmental Studies) Michelle Rasmussen (Chemistry) Rebecca Urban (Biology; Dir of Environmental Science) John Hinshaw (History) Community: Owen Moe (Committee Chair, Quittie Creek Nature Park) Dan Brickley (LVC Alumnus, Lebanon Country Club) Administration: Geoffrey Roche (Committee Mailing List, VP Strategic Initiatives & Secretary of the College) Don Santostefano* (Committee Mailing List, Facilities Services) Sustainability@lvc.edu * 2017-18 Academic Year Only

15. Potential Benefits to LVC of a Successful Climate Action Plan • More secure future as a resilient institution having substantially reduced energy consumption along with new local green energy sourcing, providing lower energy costs and increased energy security. • Reduced overall impact on the environment by cutting greenhouse gas emissions, improving air quality, planting trees, and reducing water usage. • Enhanced reputation nationally and locally as a climate leader and responsible entity. • More able to attract environmentally-minded students from all disciplines • Opportunity to employ living laboratories to benefit student learning in environmental sciences and environmental economics. • More able to develop environmentally responsible graduates.

16. LVC Historical Record • Every year since 2008-09, the Environmental Sustainability Advisory Committee (ESAC) of LVC has collected data for the calculation of the College’s carbon footprint • ESAC student data interns work with Dr. Kshama Harpankar, an environmental economist at LVC, to collect and process data • 2017-18 data interns were Kelly Jacobs and Gabrielle Cressman • 2018-19 data interns are Gabrielle Cressman and Paige Bryson

17. Carbon Footprint Analysis at LVC LVC measures its carbon footprint by entering data into a web-based greenhouse gas calculator (SIMAP). The calculator determines greenhouse emissions in three categories: • Scope 1emissions are direct emissions from sources owned and/or controlled by LVC, including natural gas and distillate oil for heating buildings, diesel fuel and gasoline used for the college fleet, and fertilizers • Scope 2includes indirect emissions from energy sources not owned by the College. For LVC, purchased electricity is the only source of scope 2 emissions.  • Scope 3 emissions are from off-campus college-related activities such as study abroad travel and sports travel, or are emissions due to faculty, staff, and student commuting to and from work. Repository of College Emissions Data. Tabular and graphical summaries of carbon emissions data for each academic year are archived on a Sustainability Advisory Initiatives webpage under Carbon Footprint. Representative emissions data for Lebanon Valley College and relevant conclusions are provided in the next four slides.

18. CO2 Produced by LVC – 2011-12 Academic Year Total CO2 = 10,363 metric tons = 22.9 million pounds Transport: Faculty, Staff, Student Commuting; Study Abroad; Misc. Indirect Combustion: Heating; College Vehicles Direct Electricity Direct

19. LVC Total Emissions, 2008 - 2016 Avg for 2008-12 10,534 MT CO2 5,460 10,534 = 52% Switch to 100% Wind Electricity Avg for 2012-16 5,460 MT CO2

20. CO2 Produced by LVC – 2015-16 Academic Year Total CO2 = 4,742 metric tons = 10.5 million pounds Electricity 100% Wind Energy Transport & Misc. Faculty, Staff, Student Commuting – 44.49% Study Abroad – 7.5% Solid Waste – 2.2% Office Paper – 0.67% Combustion Heating – 42.61% Mobile Combustion – 2.73% (College Vehicles)

21. Conclusions from LVC Emissions Data • Prior to 2012-13 academic year, all sources of energy used by the college were entirely fossil fuel-based, generating an average of 10,534 metric tons of CO2 from 2008-2012. • Starting in the 2012-2013 year, Lebanon Valley College began purchasing electric power created entirely by wind turbines, lowering the average emissions for 2012-2016 to 5,460 metric tons, resulting in a reduction of 48%. • The two largest remaining sources of carbon emissions, the heating of buildings and commuting by faculty, staff, and students, are now the key targets in this action plan.

22. Framework Principles of theClimate Action Plan 1. First and foremost, the climate action plan is an affirmation of institutional commitment • Commitment to a small number of key strategic goals • Commitment over a period of several decades 2. Strategies and mechanisms to meet goals must be fluid and flexible • The ability to respond to emerging technologies and changing externalities is more important than formulating an exact pathway • Key to the success of the plan is the ability of LVC to sustain its commitment over 20-30 years. • Plan is non-linear involving multiple strategies occurring simultaneously

23. Navigation Through The Climate Action Plan • The next slide, the Main Page for the plan, defines the top-level, strategic goals for the LVC Climate Action Plan. • Secondary goals and possible strategies to be employed are provided on second- and third-level pages, as are narrative commentaries on the goals themselves. • Starting with the next slide forward, please navigate using the embedded hyperlinks, taking you to the lower-level pages and back again to the main page • This design is meant to allow you to explore the non-linear plan freely, in a sequence determined by your interests.

24. Strategic Goals of the Climate Action Plan of Lebanon Valley College Goal: Institutional Resilience Build Institutional Commitment to Environmental Sustainability Create Implementation Infrastructure Inform and Strengthen Attitudes Develop Diverse Local Sources of Green Energyas Emergency Backup Directly Involve Students, Faculty, and Staff in Research and Planning Goal: Carbon Neutrality Carbon Budget and Decadal Targets Offset Remaining Carbon Emissions Reduce Total Energy Consumption Conserve Energy in Buildings Other Energy-Related Efficiencies Complete Transition to Green Energy Heating of Buildings Transportation/Commuting Funding Strategies

25. Go back to Strategic Goals Slide (Main Page) and use Hyperlinks to Navigate.

26. Develop Carbon Budget and Set Emission Reduction Targets This Climate Action Plan calls for the development of a Carbon Budget before the end of FY 2019-20, a budget that is based on measured carbon footprints for the College and that lays out in detail the greenhouse gas emissions produced annually by Lebanon Valley College. Eventual installation of sub-metering in all campus buildings will produce a more comprehensive Carbon Budget by providing detailed, building-by-building emissions data. The Carbon Budget can be used to set near-term goals by building into the budget expected or desired reductions in emissions. The budget will also serve as a self-imposed cap on total emissions. The budget will be updated periodically as permanent emission reductions are progressively achieved through conservation efforts or new green energy installations. Based on the Carbon Budget, and projected improvements in energy conservation and planned new green energy installations, decadal Emission Reduction Targets for the College will be set as goals to be achieved. Examples of such targets are provided here. Back to Main Page

27. Long-Term LVC Emissions Reduction Targets The average CO2 emissions for LVC from 2008-2012 equals 10,534 MT CO2 • By 2030, reduce emissions by 60% of the 2008-12 value to 4,214 MT CO2Several possible scenarios exist, two are provided below (follow links): 2030 Scenario A 2030 Scenario B • By 2040, reduce emissions by 80% of the 2008-12 value to 2,107 MT CO2 • By 2050, reduce emissions by 100% of the 2008-12 value to 0 MT CO2 Back to Main Page

28. Target 2030 – 60% Reduction – Scenario AAssumes Widespread Adoption of Electric Vehicles Back to Previous Page

29. Target 2030 – 60% Reduction – Scenario B Assumes Development of Local Green Energy Back to Previous Page

30. Offset Excess Carbon Emissions • Consider purchasing Carbon Offsets as needed to compensate for any excess emissions over those specified in the Carbon Budget. • The College might elect to make the purchase of such offsets obligatory as compensation for not fully meeting each decadal Emissions Reduction Target, helping to drive the achievement of such target goals. • Purchase offsets preferentially from projects that produce local green energy available for purchase by LVC. • Back to Main Page

31. Reduce Total Energy Consumption The Climate Action Plan considers this goal to be an essential first priority in achieving reductions in carbon emissions. Through detailed energy analyses of campus buildings, conservation, insulation, and gains in efficiency, the College will reduce the total amount of energy consumed in Scopes 1, 2, and 3. Reductions in electric power consumption can free up electric power capacity for adding new green energy technologies related to both heating and transport. More detailed sub-goals related to heating and transport can be accessed on the Main Page. Back to Main Page

32. Conserve Energy in Buildings • Sub-metering: install individual electric, gas, and water meters as needed in all campus buildings to allow real-time analyses of energy/water consumption and thereby benchmark LVC consumption versus applicable green standards to identify problems of excess energy/water usage. • Initiate daytime conservation (temperatures) hours in residence halls and other appropriate campus buildings. • Sponsor residence competitions in energy reduction – read about the Colby-Bowdoin competition. • Renovate existing buildings and build new buildings to recognized green standards such as ENERGY STAR certification, CBECS benchmarking, and LEED-certified construction. This plan sets a goal of 75% of campus buildings to be ENERGY STAR Certified by 2030. Back to Main Page

33. Increase Energy-Related Efficiency Carry out energy/efficiency improvements for: • Waste Generation and Handling • Conserve Water • Lighting – Complete a Campus-Wide LED Conversion • Electronics – Use Advanced Power Strips • Miscellaneous Electrical Devices • Faculty/Student Commuting Back to Main Page

34. Waste Generation and Handling Recycling: Continue to make campus recycling of plastic, aluminum, paper, and cardboard more effective through educational efforts on campus. Purchase and employ a commercial composting machine to compost food waste in the college cafeteria, eliminating the hauling of such waste and producing compost for use on campus. Together with community partners, build a local Anaerobic Digester to handle campus food and green waste, converting such waste into biogas or electricity for college use. Back to Previous Page

35. Conserve Water Landscape campus increasingly with drought-resistant plants and grasses Collect rainwater/grey water for outside watering Employ highly efficient shower heads and/or shower timers. Continue to add drinking fountains with water-bottle fillers. Back to Previous Page

36. Complete the Transition to Renewable Energy • Lebanon Valley College has already made great strides in the transition to renewables through the purchase of 100% wind electricity. The LVC carbon footprint data shows that the next major hurdles will be finding green energy alternatives for the heating of buildings and the transport involved in commuting. • Possible options related to heating of buildings include closing the main heating plant and heating individual buildings increasingly with new technologies powered by green energy. For transport, the college will facilitate transition of college vehicles and privately-owned commuting vehicles to electric drive and will promote ride-sharing and public transportation. • To mitigate the costs associated with such conversions, the College will adopt a plan in which all replacements of energy-related equipment must first undergo joint review by the new Environmental Sustainability Officer and the Sustainability Advisory Committee to find replacement equipment that is either carbon-neutral or highly energy efficient. Back to Main Page

37. Heating of Buildings/Water • Close main power plant, changing to heating systems in individual buildings, reducing heat loss in ground. • Increasingly use geothermal heat pumps, air-source heat pumps, or variable refrigerant flow (VRF) systems for heating buildings, with gas furnaces as back-up. • Support development of a local community anaerobic digester, the electricity or biogas from which can be used to heat buildings • Install solar hot water panels on rooftops of residence halls • Back to Main Page

38. Transportation/Commuting • Provide low-cost electric charging stations in college lots for electric vehicles • Encourage and incentivize all-electric transport by instituting a regularly increasing annual parking fee for faculty and staff driving internal combustion vehicles • Ask LVC Digital Communications students/faculty to develop web-based ride-sharing programs for regular LVC commuters (faculty, staff, students) that can match drivers and riders on a short time frame and can log sharing data for use in calculating carbon-saving offsets • Reward selection of plug-in hybrids and electric cars by giving them preferred parking spots • Increase the use of public transport by helping set up and support bus passes for LVC employees • Back to Main Page

39. Funding Strategies • For replacements of fossil fuel-based heating units or college vehicles, the funding strategy will be based on using already-budgeted funds for replacement and repair. All replacements of energy-related equipment will undergo mandatory review by the Environmental Sustainability Officer and the Environmental Sustainability Advisory Committee. • To the already-budgeted funds, the Green Fund will loan any difference in costs, looking for gradual repayment from monies saved from the new technologies. If savings are not realized, the Green Fund loan will be considered a grant. • For large projects (e.g., wind turbine, solar installation), the Green Fund can assist in providing matching funds for grants or can support grant-writing consultants. Back to Main Page

40. Strengthen Institutional Commitment to Environmental Sustainability • The Climate Action Plan elaborated here is highly challenging when we consider the magnitude of change to be effected, the implementation costs involved, and the length of time required to make such a fundamental transformation. • Success requires building a deep institutional commitment to environmental sustainability, creating a culture of sustainability that is holistic in that it is multi-dimensional and integrated, and that grows rather than wanes over time. • This action plan requires an implementation infrastructure dedicated to building such an institutional commitment, even as it implements the energy transformation. • The plan seeks to build commitment through involvement, in the curriculum and through the real participation of students, faculty, and staff in meeting the goals of the plan itself. Back to Main Page

41. Create an Implementation Infrastructure • Create a new position, that of Environmental Sustainability Officer, to work closely with the Environmental Sustainability Advisory Committee to implement and administer the Climate Action Plan. • Goals of this new CAP Implementation Team would be to: • Serve as advocates for the Climate Action Plan in campus decision-making and planning. • Provide campus leadership in conserving energy and in acquiring and implementing new green technologies. • Assist the College in building a Green Fund, and in securing grants to support sustainability initiatives, especially those related to this action plan. • Measure performance and assess the attainment of the goals of the Climate Action Plan • Back to Main Page

42. Environmental Sustainability Officer The new Environmental Sustainability Officer will report directly to senior administration and will work on the Climate Action Plan in a part-time capacity. • The Environmental Sustainability Officer will work closely with the Environmental Sustainability Advisory Committee to advance both the carbon and resilience commitments. • The Officer will have working knowledge of campus energy issues including building heating and insulation, energy efficiency improvements, and campus vehicles. • In addition, the Officer will be well-versed in institutional power procurement agreements and campus grid issues. • Michael Mumper, newly-hired (February 2019) Director of Facilities Management will serve as Environmental Sustainability Officer upon formal adoption of this plan. Mr. Mumper is trained as a Certified Carbon Reduction Manager (CRM) through the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) and serves on the board of the Capital Pennsylvania AEE chapter. • Back to Previous Page

43. CAP ImplementationTeam • The CAP committee strongly believes that progress on this plan, which will stretch over several decades, will require multiple campus advocates, coming from different points of reference, but working together to advance the plan. • We therefore propose that the new Environmental Sustainability Officer and members of the Sustainability Advisory Committee meet regularly to review program progress, to write grant proposals, and jointly recommend and evaluate impending actions related to this plan. • We also envision both units of the team serving as advocates for the plan in campus decisions and planning. Back to Previous Page

44. Green Fund A Green Fund can provide important financial stimulus for new equipment and technologies needed in the transition to green energy. A Green Fund can, for example, be used: • To cover the cost difference between budgeted funds for replacement equipment and the total costs associated with a purchase of a green alternative, with the funds supplied by the Green Fund provided either as loans or grants. • To help provide matching funds for external grants secured to purchase green energy equipment. • To hire consultants to assist in preparing grants, in evaluating proposals, or in designing new installations. Back to Previous Page

45. Inform and Strengthen Attitudes • Build on the commitment to an environmentally sustainable future, signaled by the Board of Trustees, the President, and other LVC stakeholders, in adopting this Climate Action Plan, by making environmental sustainability an institutional goal and key factor in strategic planning. • Increase Campus Literacy on Environmental Issues • Strengthen Environmental Literacy in Curriculum • Increase Extra-Curricular Programming • Develop multiple types of on-campus messaging to make the case for the importance of energy conservation and a green energy transformation. • Back to Main Page

46. Environmental Sustainability in the Curriculum • Continue to support and strengthen our new programs in Environmental Scienceand Environmental Studies, drawing on student/faculty expertise in these programs for sustainability planning • Continue to incorporate climate issues and environmental sustainability into Connective Experience Courses (COE) • Look for ways to introduce environmental issues into the First-Year Experience courses in new and fresh ways. • Read a short essay on one professor’s experience of introducing climate/energy issues into the LVC curriculum. • Back to Previous Page

47. Extra-Curricular Programming • Hold informational seminars for the campus and local community led by representatives of companies that assist in energy conservation efforts, build green energy facilities, or provide green energy consulting and other services • Solicit funds for a permanent endowment in support of annual visits by nationally known climate scientists, green energy advocates, and other environmentalists to speak publicly and to teach classes and visit with interested student groups. • Sponsor periodic Green Symposia on campus, with LVC students and faculty as presenters. • Back to Previous Page

48. Incorporating Climate Issues into the LVC Curriculum – Dr. Michelle Rasmussen • The Connective Experience portion of the LVC curriculum is a three-course series focused on a particular theme, with each course approaching the topic from its own perspective. I teach the natural science component of a series called “Energy”. The course covers early energy sources such as fire all the way through to new energy sources, like wind and tidal. I include as many hands-on activities as possible. For example, the students do a semester-long project in which they grow algae and convert it to biodiesel. They then compare the energy output from their algae biodiesel to conventional biodiesel. In another experiment, students convert some type of biomass to sugar, and then ferment that sugar to produce ethanol for transport. • The expected energy transition at LVC could enhance such courses by providing “living laboratories.” For example, if the campus installed renewable energy sources like an anaerobic digester, a solar array, or a wind turbine, the class could visit the sites and measure the output in different weather or times of day. The students would see the scale on which energy conversion actually takes place, rather than only a small laboratory demonstration. They would see more directly how the topics from class impact their lives. • While I have approached this idea from the point of view of my particular connective experience, it can be achieved in many other classes as well. The “Nanotechnology Age” or “How American Science Changed the World” connective courses, for example, provide opportunities to learn about sustainable energy and technology. By incorporating the climate action plan into the curriculum whenever possible, we could increase student interest and encourage a campus-wide commitment to sustainability and green energy. Back to Previous Page

49. Develop Diverse Local Sources of Green Energy Invest in local production of renewable energy to be used by the College as an ongoing source and as emergency back-up. Consider developing the sources below, constructed as either on-campus, LVC-owned installations or joint LVC-community projects: • Wind Turbine: Read about wind turbine financing and economic benefits at Luther College, and St. Olaf College • Solar Installation: Solar Farms, Solar Sidewalks, Solar Parking Canopy • Anaerobic Digester: Read about Anaerobic Digestion at Middlebury College Back to Main Page

50. Anaerobic Digestion at Middlebury College Middlebury College in Vermont, along with a large local family farm, food producers including Cabot Cheese, Vermont Gas, and Vanguard Renewables are partnering to build an anaerobic digester facility near the college. The digester facility will convert food waste, brewery waste, and manure to renewable natural gas and/or green electricity. Middlebury College will purchase all the biogas produced for its main power plant, and green electricity will be provided to the farm for hosting the facility. Vanguard will own and operate the digester, which is now in the permitting process. See image of the Middlebury Model for a community partnership to produce renewable energy from waste. Back to Previous Page