Offsets, by any other name …
Anne Stephenson, Ph.D., LEED AP
Campus Outreach Coordinator
At Clean Air-Cool Planet’s campus program, Claire, Jennifer, and I are known for our “fuss-budget” responses to questions like: “What projects will have the biggest impact on our carbon footprint?”, “How do I calculate the carbon intensity of biofuels?”, “What methods and protocols do other colleges and universities use?”
As nit-picky as we may be in our response, we realize that there are many unmeasurable aspects to carbon reductions on campus – like the environmental literacy of the student population or the research opportunity afforded by reduction projects. We strongly believe that the largest reduction isn’t always the best if one considers that a smaller reduction might involve more members of the campus community, or might be a better research opportunity.
I have had a month of being reminded that “people power” is one of those unquantifiable factors as I participated in interviews for our 12 Climate Fellowship positions. Thanks to funding from the Roy A. Hunt Foundation, our climate fellowship program matches students with real-world greenhouse gas reduction opportunities. This summer’s projects range from helping Poland Spring Bottling reduce the carbon intensity of its fleet to helping the Historic District Commission on Nantucket Island support renewable energy and energy efficiency renovations. The projects we’ve designed are measurable, meaningful, interesting and transformative — for both us and our partners – but that’s nothing compared to the twelve young professionals who will be part of our team this summer.
Collectively they are pursuing areas of study from MBAs to Museum Studies to Geosciences. They have traveled to the arctic on global warming fact-finding missions and to Mexico on carbon-offset research. They have conducted sustainability audits and greenhouse gas inventories for colleges and universities, public school districts, and the Ford Motor Company. They have implemented composting programs, worked as organic farmers, and started a sustainability consulting company. They have been part of student delegations attending climate negotiations in Poznan.
In short, they are climate change rock stars! And they’re working for us! I’m thrilled and full of wonder. When I graduated from college in the dark ages of 2000, I think you could get a minor in Environmental Studies. I came to the Clean Air-Cool Planet team from the very clear academic trajectory of French to Geology to Art to a PhD in Art History. Super. Every day I put to use the many skills I possess like knowing the difference between etching and engraving techniques and being a dab hand at reading early art history texts in German. Okay, so actually, I was never all that great at reading in German, but you get the point.
Now you can go to school and actually learn about the stuff I do at work! And not just environmental science and ecology and birds and plants and stuff – there are courses and majors in sustainable finance, life-cycle assessment, greenhouse gas reporting protocols, and managing organizational culture for sustainability. These are the very things that my colleagues and I have learned – and are learning – the hard way, on the job. Of course, academic study never trumps experience. But the real-world opportunity that our fellowship program offers will be all the more valuable to this year’s “class” that is literate in sustainability and climate policy and are, already, low-carbon leaders.
I am now a true convert to revaluing the unquantifiable aspects of the work that colleges and universities are doing to move toward the goal of carbon neutrality. And I’m not convinced solely by these twelve but also by the 438 other extraordinary young men and women who applied to our program.
Ultimately colleges and universities, like any other organizations, will have to buy carbon offsets to achieve neutrality. But it would be fair, I think, to count the immeasurable benefits of the energy, effort, and imagination of students like our fellows as offsets.
Tags: campuses, carbon neutrality, Carbon offsets, education, fellowship, Ford Motor Company, Nantucket, Poland Spring, Roy A. Hunt, sustainability
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April 8, 2009 at 2:47 pm
I really envy the kids just beginning in Environmental Studies programs right now. There are so many professors teaching classes with real world, hands on focus. Environmental science classes are partnering with professors to work on real cases, I’ve even heard of Environmental politics classes partnering with non profits to work on writing testimony for congress.
Even having graduated just last year, the difference in the Environmental studies program from when I started almost five years ago, to where it is now is phenomenal. If I had the chance to re-do it all, I’d focus on classes where application of knowledge is king- spending more time on science, engineering, and politics, but I would also make sure to take a good deal of entrepreneurship and finance classes- the kids who are making really good money in this field are often the ones starting companies or revolutionizing corporate fields.
Most importantly, getting multiple internships in the field, even as early as freshman year is such an important aspect of learning.
A Big Kudos on this many applicants to the program! I’m looking forward to hearing about their experiences!