Syracuse University submitted a five-part plan for reducing carbon emissions to the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment on Tuesday. SU became one of 400 universities to send in a plan for carbon neutrality.

Now, the ACUPCC steering committee at SU must take the 54-page blueprint it has created, and put it into action. The $20-$80 billion plan spans the next 30 years and details how SU will reach carbon neutrality by 2040.

‘We have a plan that we think is responsible and that will lead to climate neutrality long after we’re no longer here, but it’ll be before the middle of the century,’ said Mitch Wallerstein, chair of the ACUPCC steering committee and Dean of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

Last September the steering committee submitted a greenhouse gas inventory to ACUPCC, which analyzed the total number of greenhouse gasses emitted by SU through surveys and estimates. The data was used to create this plan.

The plan is broken down into five parts: energy conservation through existing technologies, energy conservation through developing technologies, creation of energy from renewable sources, behavioral changes and the possible use of energy offsets.

Energy Conservation based on existing technology

Part of the university’s conservation plan includes sustainable building. SU’s two newest buildings, Ernie Davis Hall and the Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center, are both Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified. Each future university building will meet LEED requirements, said Tim Sweet, SU director of energy and computing management.

Many existing initiatives deal with SU’s infrastructure, such as window replacement and leak repairs, enhancement of steam and chilled water lines, boiler replacement and domestic hot water upgrade. Other campus-wide conservation projects being looked at include: green computing across campus and improved water conservation.

Energy Efficiency based on emerging technologies

Everything in the plan is based on technology that exists and has been demonstrated to be feasible. But as new technologies develop in the next 30 years, chasing carbon neutrality will get easier and easier, Wallerstein said. The plan lists five research centers, including the Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems, dedicated to generating these technologies.

Renewable fuels

Overlapping with energy conservation, the university will undergo pilot projects using wind turbines and a small solar cell array. Another focus is on the use of alternative-fuel vehicles. SU’s green data center (currently in development) will use these conservation techniques.

Behavioral changes

The changes include: promoting public awareness of initiatives already in place such as recycling, Zip Cars and public transportation, as well as some new projects aimed at decreasing an individual’s carbon footprint.

‘We can do this and still maintain a decent quality of life,’ Sweet said. ‘It’s about making people aware of what’s going on and there’s a lot of things we can address in our everyday life.’

Individual changes range from small things (unplugging electronic devices that aren’t in use) to larger things (substituting faculty business trips for video conferencing).

Energy offsets

SU would provide financial assistance to renewable energy plants to offset the cost of fuel, but Sweet said this would be a last resort for the university. This model could also be applied to local neighborhood homes.

Funding

The cost of the CAP is difficult to determine, but will start next year at $500,000, Wallerstein said. That figure will gradually increase to approximately $3 million per year.

‘This wont be cheap, no one is na’ve about that,’ Wallerstein said. ‘But again, as the technology improves, the cost should come down and there’s also a payback because as you improve the energy efficiency of the campus it means you’re using less energy to heat the campus or to light the campus, so it’ll cost less.’

Sweet estimated the payback will begin by 2030. He said the projections are deliberately conservative so that even in a worst-case scenario, there will be a positive cash payback down the road.

For those concerned with such a large-scale project when money is tight, Wallerstein said it’s a price worth paying. First because the school made a commitment by signing the agreement, and second because the project can serve to lower tuition in years to come.

‘By doing this, we will actually hold down the university’s energy costs and thereby reduce the pressure on the university to continue to raise tuition.’

Wallerstein also said it’s a time-sensitive issue that needs to be addressed sooner rather than later.

‘It’s not something we can put off to tomorrow.’

Curriculum

A unique aspect of the SU plan is that it will work closely with each individual college to develop curriculum on global climate change and sustainability.

Sweet estimates that the committee will work with one college a year, beginning this fall with the College of Visual and Performing Arts. The first half of the year will be spent planning and studying curriculum, and school-specific sustainability initiatives, and the second half will focus on implementation.

One example is an up-and-coming course titled ‘Sustainability Science Communications,’ which will bring scientists and journalists together to learn how to inform the public on complex issues of energy sustainability.

Wallerstein said the plan will engage students and the university community.

‘I personally believe everyone who graduates from SU should have a basic understanding of how to live more sustainability, because this is the world you’re going to live in for the rest of your adult life.’

jmterrus@syr.edu

Published on September 15, 2009 at 12:00 pm