Quest for sustainable campus
With the recent focus on environmental sustainability, college campuses are joining the movement to become carbon neutral. As institutions of higher learning, it is a college’s job to set the example for students who will go on to become contributing members of society. Through initiatives such as green architecture, purchasing energy from renewable sources, and implementing “going green” into the curricula, colleges are setting the example for both young people and other organizations.
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Schools that are taking the lead in the environmental arena include mostly Ivy League schools, which have the money and prestige to forge ahead in the quest for a sustainable campus. One important contribution is the Yale Sustainable Food Project, which uses food from an on-campus organic farm for 40% of its cafeteria food, thereby cutting the carbon emitted by transportation of non-local food. Yale has also managed to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 17% since 2005, with another 17% reduction projected by 2009. This would put emissions 10% below 1990 levels, exceeding the standards set by the Kyoto protocol. Cornell is also making progress, building a heat and power cogeneration plant that will open in 2009, cutting coal use in half, 30% below 1990 levels.
Even such simple measures as recycling reusable materials, turning down the air conditioning, or composting excess food benefit the environment. Colleges can promote bicycle use and public transportation, encourage the use of air drying clothes racks, and use sunlight or energy efficient light bulbs in buildings to reduce their energy consumption. Unfortunately many schools, including York College, are not implementing these simple measures. Therefore, it is the responsibility of students, faculty, and the public to ensure that their schools are doing all they can to reduce the emission of dangerous greenhouse gasses and to promote the goal of a sustainable future.
Krista DeStasio
York
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