More than 620 higher-education institutions have signed the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment--a promise to begin developing a plan to reduce greenhouse gases on their campuses and move toward climate neutrality. Other colleges may be hesitating about making that commitment because the task seems overwhelming. For them, the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) has teamed with the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment to create an online guide for crafting a climate action plan.

"It is intended to fill the gap in currently available resources by outlining a how-to approach for each of the various steps required to develop and implement a plan for campus climate leadership," the AASHE says in a news release.

The guide offers school officials guidance on how to begin a climate action plan, who should be involved, how to measure greenhouse gas emissions on campus, and which energy-reduction efforts are most effective.

The basic steps outlined in the guide for reducing greenhouse gas emissions include:

• Energy conservation and efficiency. "Nothing is cleaner than the BTU or kilowatt hour of energy that you don't need, don't consume, and therefore that doesn't need to be produced or generated," the guide says.
• Appropriate heating and power plant fuel choices. "Coal is mostly carbon," the guide notes, "so when it is oxidized or burned, the result is mostly carbon dioxide. Thus, from a climate protection point of view, quitting coal is critically important."
• On-site renewable energy technologies. "Campuses will need to transition as much as possible to...solar, wind, biomass, geothermal and hydro," the guide states.
• Maximize space utilization to minimize or avoid new construction. "Each new building adds to your campus carbon footprint unless it is a zero-energy building, or it replaces a building that used more energy," the guide says.
• Design and construct only the greenest, most energy-efficient new buildings. "If your campus is proceeding with new construction and is committed to achieving significant greenhouse gas emissions reductions, achieving LEED certification or a LEED Silver rating is inadequate," the guide says. Specifically, schools should focus on earning LEED points most important for reducing emissions: site selection; develop density and community connectivity; alternative transportation: public transportation access; optimize energy performance; onsite renewable energy; and green power.
• Carbon offsets. "Despite our best efforts, in the short to mid-term, the majority of colleges and universities will be only partially successful in eliminating their greenhouse gas emissions," the guide says. "Remaining greenhouse gas emissions can be offset by purchasing financial instruments that help pay for projects that reduce greenhouse emissions elsewhere." Some may view carbon offsets as a way for universities to "buy their way out" of environmental misdeeds, but the guides asserts that "with the right guarantees and third-party certification, carbon offsets can produce real emissions reductions."

The guide may change frequently--the document is posted online in a "wiki" format that enables those with relevant information to amend or add to the text. Find the entire guide here.

• 51: Percentage of schools in the United States that reported in 2006 having indoor air quality management programs in place.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

FINDING FUNDING: One of the greatest deterrents to creating more green schools is the perception that it costs more. But by building more sustainably, schools can find additional sources of financing that wouldn't be available for a more conventional construction project. There isn't one easy source for funding information, but there are many resources available....Read the entire article.

GREEN OPPORTUNITIES: Much of the buzz around green buildings has centered on new construction. But the inventory of existing buildings far exceeds that of new construction....Making existing buildings more sustainable is critical to achieving large-scale environmental benefits....Read the entire article.