Colorado State University Pledges to be Carbon Neutral by 2020
September 23, 2008
Colorado State University President Larry Edward Penley announced in his annual Fall Address that the school aims to be carbon neutral by 2020. Colorado State aims to prove their green power by reducing its greenhouse emissions through conservation and alternative energy sources. They’re hoping to serve as a role model for environmental stewardship, and plan to develop programs to train the growing green workforce as well as creating alternative energy solutions.
The university expects to find significant cost savings through additional conservation strategies, Penley said. Those efforts will begin with a comprehensive assessment of the university’s carbon footprint, already underway. The assessment will include a commuter survey posted today at https://www.fm.colostate.edu/survey and a greenhouse gas inventory.
“A premier research university is committed to the ideal that educated and motivated people can make a difference in the world, and CSU is the Green University, leading the way in research, education and practice associated with sustainable energy and the environment,” said Penley, who celebrated his fifth year as president of Colorado State in August. “We expect our graduates to be active, responsible citizens.”
Colorado State has already gained recognition for being environmentally responsible, making plenty of sustainability efforts on campus and in the school’s academic and research programs. Some of those efforts include creating a Clean Energy Supercluster, which is a new effort to speed technological renewable and clean energy innovations to the marketplace, and their new School of Global Environmental Sustainability, which properly prepares students to enter the green workforce. Colorado State was also named among the greenest universities in the country by Newsweek in August.
This is exactly what we need – more college students recognizing the need to be green! The youth – especially those aiming to nab green collar jobs – are the key to getting civilization on the right track so generations to come have a clean, healthy earth to enjoy. Nice going, Colorado State!
Link [Today at Colorado State] via [AASHE]
Can a Power Company REALLY Be Carbon Neutral?
March 31, 2008
Yes, it can be done, and a New Zealand power company has been doing it for more than a year.
Meridian Energy generates around a third of New Zealand’s total energy demand (approx 12,000 GWh) exclusively from wind and hydro sources. The company has a history of advocating a carbon credit marketplace.
But not all New Zealand state-owned enterprises can boast the same carbon neutral certification.
Solid Energy is the largest coal mining company in New Zealand, and also state owned. It’s the company, I’m ashamed to say, that dig up and export New Zealand’s coal to be burned in China—and the ones that intend to create a new open cast mine in Happy Valley.
It sounds like a terrible place for a coal mine—even though I’m not certain what or where Happy Valley is (but then, what do Americans know about New Zealand really, except that it’s where the Hobbits live?). Before we all get too happy about this, I should note that Meridian Energy is carbon neutral in large part because they operate nine hydroelectric projects—big dams, that is, of the sort that would be considered an environmental disaster if they were under construction today, but are somehow okay if they already exist.
Meridian Energy also operate wind turbines—like the one in the photo above, in Wellington—on a really large scale.
Link [Worldchanging]
Photo credit: Wikipedia Commons
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