Isramart : College Cuts Carbon Dioxide Emissions by 80%

Isramart news:
The state of Maryland has cut its CO2 emissions by 6 percent and St. Mary’s has reduced it’s by 80 percent this year largely driven by student initiatives. Maryland’s global warming pollution declined by 6 percent since 2004, among the top 10 states cutting CO2 emissions. That was the year in which pollution levels began to peak in many states, according to a new analysis of government data released today by the state-based, citizen-funded Environment Maryland at a press conference at St. Mary’s College of Maryland.

“The transition to clean energy is a marathon, and we’ve just laced up our sneakers,” said Environment Maryland field associate Mike Sherling. “It’s time to take back control of our energy future. By harnessing the power of the wind and the sun, we can cut pollution and transition to clean energy sources that don’t harm the environment, never run out, and create new, local jobs,” he continued.

The college was able to cut its emissions of CO2 by 80 percent this year as a result of various environmental initiatives. “We reduced CO2 emissions dramatically. I am proud to say that the largest percentage was the result of student-led actions,” said Shane Hall ’09, sustainability
fellow at SMCM.

“The students at the college are part of a nationwide movement that is redefining the way society views environmentalism,” said Emily Saari ’12, co-president of the college’s Student Environmental Action Coalition (SEAC). “We are tackling issues of climate change and clean energy, and creating opportunities for greater social change. This national environmental movement of which we are a part of is visionary, diverse, passionate, hopeful, and – most importantly – young: we are taking responsibility for the world we are soon to inherit.”

The student body purchased Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) at a cost of about $50,000 to offset 100 percent of the carbon emissions produced by the college’s electricity consumption (12,000 tons of CO2 saved). The Northeast Energy Services Company, Inc. (NORESCO) program of upgrading college facilities to save energy cut CO2 emissions by 2430 tons. The LEED-certified Goodpaster Hall reduced CO2 emissions by 610 tons. The James P. Muldoon River Center has a student-sponsored geothermal HVAC system that cuts CO2 emissions by 270 tons. The new Glendening Building has “green” features that reduce CO2 emissions by 125 tons. These and other innovations have allowed the college, which would have produced 19,500 tons of CO2 over the last year, to offset over 15,000 tons of CO2 emissions. As a result the college produced just of 4000 tons of CO2.
“St. Mary’s College has achieved on a small scale what the world needs to achieve on a larger scale,” said David Kung, associate professor of mathematics at SMCM. “Climate change requires us all to make better choices, from our own personal lives to our collective choices as Americans and as responsible global citizens. Contrary to the climate-change denialists, many of these changes will save money.”
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Buying green power typically involves purchasing Renewable Energy Credits (RECs), which represent the environmental attributes of clean energy sources. They act as a claim check on the clean, renewable energy generated by wind, solar or other renewable energy sources. When a business, institution or residence buys RECs, they are helping to directly reduce global warming and air pollution through the clean energy put on the grid on their behalf. The more RECs purchased, the more clean renewable energy is moved onto the power grid and the less polluting sources are emitted into the environment.

The Environment Maryland report, Too Much Pollution, uses the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Energy on fossil fuel consumption by state to look at trends in carbon dioxide emissions. A link to the report can be found at http://www.environmentmaryland.org/uploads/35/9b/359b6d40509781fdd93d6fba6e5136c8/Environment-Maryland-report–Too-Much-Pollution.pdf. The key findings include:

* Maryland’s carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel consumption declined by 6 percent between 2004 and 2007, reversing a decades-long trend toward increasing pollution.

* In Maryland, carbon dioxide emissions from electricity generation declined by 2 percent from 2004 to 2007, as the state moved from highly polluting oil to cleaner forms of electricity. Carbon dioxide emissions from burning oil for electricity dropped by 77 percent.

* Nationally, emissions of carbon dioxide from fossil fuel consumption increased by 19 percent between 1990 and 2007. Power plants and vehicles, the largest sources of carbon dioxide emissions in the United States, were responsible for the lion’s share of the increase.