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Energy
Purchasing,
Consumption, Waste Disposal, Research/Projects,
Education
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Current Green Strides at
Colgate
- All electricity is hydroelectric and any
additional electricity is nuclear
- Voluntary shut-down of non-essential
electrical devices when the Village of Hamilton is nearing a deficit
- Electricity saving measures, such as
fluorescent lighting, motion sensors, and computer “sleep”
protocols, have been undertaken in some areas
- Energy efficient windows have been placed
in all buildings except Alumni, Chapel, and Lathrop Link
- Student group displays and posters
describing energy
consumption
Heating
Plant
- Use of the wood boiler to provide most
(60%) of the steam for campus heat and hot water. The wood boiler
uses wood chips as fuel.
- Fuels – Wood chip burning plant
offers the use of a renewable energy source. 30% of our requirement is supplied
by a regional furniture manufacturer as a by-product of their manufacturing
process. The wood chip portion of our heat plant supplies approximately 70% of
our total requirement.
- Biomass-fueled heating facility produces
no net CO2 emissions
- #6 Fuel Oil – Along with the price
tracking of standard 1.5% sulfur content #6 fuel, we also track fuels with lower
sulfur contents of .85% and .50%. The price differential is approximately $.011
and $.022 per gallon respectively.
Research/Progress
Made
- Preliminary greenhouse gas inventory
completed, including analysis on energy’s contribution
- Walk-through of all buildings to determine
high-energy users
- Room/building characterizations based on
types of light fixtures and electrical appliances in each area
- Measures to reduce energy use have been
examined by students and
administration
Heating
Plant
- Infrared tests of steam lines found no
significant leaks
- Emissions are far below established EPA
threshold levels
Abstract/Summary
- This study was designed to examine
Colgate’s heating practices and efficiency of heat production. Colgate
heats the campus with a wood-fired burner and three supplemental no. 6 crude oil
burners. This is a predominately biomass combustion system, which results in no
net CO2 emissions from the wood burner. The heating facility is well
below all established EPA threshold levels for criteria air pollutants. In
addition, after conducting an infrared testing session of Colgate’s
heating lines, almost no major problems or leaks were
found.
- Using a combination of the CA-CP GHG
inventory, EPA guidelines and strategies from other universities, we instituted
an environmental audit to quantify Colgate University’s bulk carbon
emissions. Preliminary findings indicate that Colgate University’s carbon
footprint is small relative to peer institutions. While already environmentally
conscious, the University has the opportunity to continue improving and to
effectively offset emissions from the Colgate community. To accomplish this, we
proposed several long-range and immediate proposals including the creation of a
centralized Energy and Environment Database, an ENST-based Energy and Global
Warming Organization, the examination of potential outside financial and
technical assistance, further study with additional GHG calculators, Green Tag
or Native Energy purchases, vending misers, and cogeneration. In addition,
issues surrounding transportation emissions and overall campus awareness were
examined. These proposals, in addition to those made during more specific
heating and electricity studies, will further reduce Colgate University’s
greenhouse gas
emissions.
Contacts/Resources
- Jim Peckham, B&G,
jrpeckham@mail.colgate.edu
- Howard Henderson, Ergonomy Infrared
Testing (www.ergonomy-infrared.com)
- ENST 480 Fall ’02:
Colgate’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory: Initial steps towards
carbon-neutrality
- ENST 480
Students:
Milt
Geiger | Blair Goodridge | Bill Sadlon
| Britta von Oesen | Justin Ward
| Stephan Hornung | Atha Mansoory
| Jill Ramsier | Brooke Taylor
Initiatives at other
Universities/Communities
- Solely Biomass Heating Facility
- Cogeneration Electric and Heating
Facility
- Geothermal Heat Facility - Feather River
College (Sacramento, CA)
- Tufts Climate Initiative is committed to
meeting the goals of the Kyoto Protocol through many energy saving actions
including: “Do it in the Dark” campaign to reduce dormitory
electricity consumption and complete replacement of all incandescent light bulbs
with fluorescent fixtures.
- Brown University: “Brown Is
Green” facilitates the conservation of resources, waste reduction
strategies, and increased awareness of environmental issues on
campus
- Middlebury Environmental Council aims to
conserve energy and reduce greenhouse gas
emissions
- Tulane University: An educational campaign
on Energy Efficient products was developed at Tulane in 2002. A response to a
Greenhouse Gas Emissions inventory and a study of energy use on campus, students
did a widespread educational campaign on campus. They created an Energy Star
showcase dorm room to show students, faculty, staff and others how to choose
energy efficient products for homes and offices. They made door hangers for on
campus students with facts on computer energy management (there was backlash to
this in the school paper, mostly blamed on the timing of these with university
budget announcements). Also at Tulane, students did an analysis of the
Presidents office for energy efficiency – making a high profile example.
(Source: Campus Ecology, National Wildlife
Federation)
- University of Vermont: In June 2000, the
university installed a nine by 58 foot array of solar panels (capable of five
kilowatts of electricity generation) in a visible area of the main campus in
Burlington. The project cost about $750 a year and is justified by the
investment into education and the community. A positive effect and result of
this initiative is the community development aspect. The university supported
local business and utilized their expertise with this project. The university
also invested in a website to give additional educational resource for the
project. From start to finish, there was a lot of time and energy to make the
project work. Funds for the project (~50,000) were disbursed through the
Physical Plant department. (Source: Campus Ecology, National Wildlife
Federation)
Potential Green Strides at Colgate
Individual
- Turn computers off when not in
use
Site
Specific
- Fix steam line leak at La Casa
- Keep more complete records on oil and wood
use and install meters on buildings
- New wood chip incinerators
- Install energy efficient windows in
Alumni, the Chapel, and the Lathrop Link
- Budget heat usage per
apartment
- Incentive based programs to change
electricity use behavior in campus housing
- RA education on awareness of electricity
use
- Dorm vs. Dorm competition to reduce energy
consumption
- Hand dryers in bathrooms instead of paper
towels
- Turn computers in labs when
closed
University
- Perform infrared tests on all the
buildings
- Install thicker insulation on steam lines
when they are replaced
- Install individual thermostats in all
rooms, in place of a centralized system controlled at B&G
- Regulate heat use in academic buildings at
night and over long vacations
- Raise campus awareness of wasteful energy
uses by incorporating multiple departments, student groups and administrators
for innovative campaigns
- Comprehensive database to monitor
consumption over a prolonged period (> 10 yrs)
- Implement “Do-it-in-the-Dark”
campaign on campus
- Energy efficient lights throughout campus
buildings
- Dimmers and motion sensors for classrooms
and hallways
- Turn off vending machines
(vending-miser)
- Turn off more lights, heat in buildings
over breaks
- Consider alternative methods of heat
production, such as cogeneration or a Geothermal Heat Pump
- Windmill on Ski Hill
- Passive Solar buildings,
photovoltaics
- Purchase wind generated energy (B-E-F
Green Tags or NativeEnergy Wind builder Green
Tags)
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