NECSC-Setting, Tracking, and Meeting Campus Carbon Goals

Climate Change Goal Setting

Various Goals Kyoto: 7% below 1990 by 2012 NE Gov phase 1: 10% below 1990 by 2020 NE Gov phase 2: 75% below 1990 by 2050 Waxman-Markey: 17% below 2005 by 2020 Other places: 43% below 2005 by 2020 30% below 2005 by 2030 30% below 2006 by 2016 PCC: Climate Neutral

Tufts Emissions vs. Various Goals (MTCE)

30000 25000 20000 15000 10000 5000 0

Discussion Questions • What is the benefit of a shorter timeframe?

• Buy-in for goals – How does that change over time?

– How do you engage facilities staff? Money folks?

• Trustee, president, faculty, staff, students – How does their tenure on campus affect this?

– What is their role in the goal setting and implementation?

Is there a conflict?

• What happens if we don’t meet our goals?

• What is the role of offsets or new technology in the planning?

Cornell Sustainability Planning

Reflections on Community Input, Decision Tools, and Tracking Progress

Milestones • • • • •

• • •

Commitment on the Environment KyotoNow pledge First Cornell Green Report Signed ACUPCC 2007 Center for a Sustainable Future 2007 Advancing Sustainability Action Plan 2008 Greenhouse Gas Inventory Climate Action Planning Process begins

1997 2001 2006 June June

Aug Sep 2008 Sep 2008

Cornell Sustainability Elements from 2006 Land Use Endowment Investments

Operations Food and Water

Climate Commitment and Energy

Built Environment

Materials Waste and Pollution

Transportation

Climate Action Plan Principles Actions will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and: • Improve Finances • Support Research • Broaden Education • Enhance Outreach Maintain a dynamic plan that will respond to changes in science, technology and society: • measure our progress against our targets • update the plan to reflect best use of human and fiscal resources

Goal: Climate Neutrality by 2050

To see the entire Climate Action Plan visit:

www.sustainablecampus.cornell.edu/climate

The Process Profile the Situation -Carbon Inventory -Calculate Risk Exposure

-Forecast Model

Solicit Ideas - “Wedge Groups�

- Idea Generation

-Qualitative Screening

Screen Ideas -Tech Brief Development -Quantitative Screening - Metric Brief Development -Viability Considerations Endorse Actions -Portfolio Analysis -Draft Plan

-Decision Support

Implement Actions -Feasibility Studies -Grant Proposals

- Project Development

Emission Inventory

Source: “The Greenhouse Gas Protocol – A Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard”, Revised Edition, 2004.

World Resource Institute and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development

Climate Action Plan Working Groups “Wedges” of Carbon Reduction Green Development •Building Energy •Smart Growth

Processes

Business As Usual (Base Case)

Sustainable Decisions & Portfolio

Energy Conservation Fuel Mix & Renewables

Transportation

Teaching and Research Living Laboratory

Deliverables •Web •Report Communication s and Events

Offsets

Consultant Management

Faculty Ad hoc Group Student Climate Action Plan

Trustees Cornell Center for Sustainable Future

Web Tool: Collected 700+ Ideas

Sustainable Decision Analysis Quantitative • Life-Cycle $ Cost • Includes Value of CO2-e

Feasibility • Availability • Acceptability

Endorsed Alternatives

Portfolio of CAP projects

Triple Bottom Line + • Environment • Social • Economic + Institutional Mission – teaching – research – outreach

Triple Bottom Line + Criteria Institutional Furthers Cornell Mission: Teaching Research Outreach Public service Student access to higher education

Economic Economic Stewardship Regional economic development

Resource Stewardship

Extent to which existing or potential environmental services of land and natural resources are conserved, enhanced

Impact on campus/ community aesthetics/ appeal/functions

Sustainable land use, smart growth, minimize development footprint Enhance air quality, exceed standards

Will this still seem like a good idea in 20 years Sustainable use of water, ? other natural resources

Institutional

Social

Quality of life in home communities

Impact on faculty/ staff/ students

Recognized environmental leadership (Top 5?)

Economic

Environmental GHG management hierarchy & net GHG impact

Investing in sustainable value Business ethics

Establish Cornell as a thought leader and early adopter

5 4 3 2 1 0 -1 -2 -3 -4 -5

Social Employee, student well being

Broadly applicable, Minimize hazardous waste replicable, transferrable and handle safely Environmental

Municipal waste – recycle/ reuse Universal waste – recycle/ reuse Biodiversity

Space Planning and Management Description More effective use of existing space holds the potential to reduce the material, energy and land resources consumed by new buildings and slow overall campus growth in building square foot terms. The intent here is to increase building space density (ie assignable square feet per acre / people per gross square foot), build/renovate to consistent standards, and build/renovate to evaluated needs.

$473

11,000 annual avg

459,280

Total

metric ton

Value in Tons of CO2e Environmental 2 1 0

Time Frame 1-5 years for primary effort; 6-10 years for consideration of space charge system

-1

Institutional

-2

Social

Assumptions • In New Construction Projects: 10 – 15% increase in space efficiency • In Renovation Projects: 5 – 10% increase in space efficiency • Requires creation and implementation of space standards and to empanel a space advisory council (or similar oversight body) • Focuses on “defrag” of existing space and use of standards / control process for development of new buildings/renovations

Economic

TBL Notes

PWG Recommendations: Costs Capital Cost: $2 Million (50/50 split between Facility Inventory Management System (software/Hardware) and an initial space utilization inventory project

Annual Incremental Operating Cost: $200,000 (New; software/hardware/IT Support) Savings: $300,000 (Avoided; reduction of required staff time)

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Sustainable Decision Quality •a commitment to well-defined action •consideration of a full range of creative and doable options •reliable and meaningful information •consistent w/ values, core principles, and established criteria •logical reasoning •a process that is transparent to stakeholders •provision for learning and improvement through look-back and ongoing adjustment

Actions that are not endorsed •Compost (discarded) for actions that: – Negatively impact the mission – Are not locally acceptable and approvable – Increase GHG emissions •Bike Rack for actions that: – Are interesting but not economically or technically feasible, or have insufficient information •Test Tube Rack (now on website): – Bike Rack ideas that academia could pursue

Value of Consultants Third Party Facilitation Specific Technical Expertise Speeding up the process Engaging Community Managing Teams Making Executive Decisions

Our Future: Track, Promote, and Party (and occasionally plan and reflect)

•Develop comprehensive database •Engage users and administrators •Host bi-annual focus group sessions •Host annual celebration/awards •Outputs: Green Report Campus Sustainability Website STARS and Surveys

Thanks for your attention!

Visit us online at www.cornell.edu/sustainability Email me at dnr6@cornell.edu

What forces and trends will we have to live with, which ones can we influence?

Where do we want to take our sustainability efforts into the future and how do we want to do it?

What factors did you look at to arrive at a decision?

What were the greatest risks you had to address?

What lessons have been learned thus far? If you starting to do this over how would you do it differently?

What factors will affect how you adapt your efforts to keep it relevant and what factors are beyond your control but which you have to pay attention to in order to be successful?

Student Leadership for Climate Action

Christina Copeland, undergraduate student and president of the Student Sustainability Hub

“…The Climate Action Plan presents a great opportunity for student involvement in sustainability issues in everyday campus life. In the years to come, student leadership will be a driving force in achieving climate neutrality at Cornell.”

Attitudes, Perceptions, and Climate Action

Katherine A. McComas, Associate Professor, Communications

“Through my course, Planning the Carbon Neutrality Campaign...I have been able to expose students to real-world communications challenges and advance our theoretical understanding of climate and energy-related perceptions...�

Ying Hua, Assistant Professor, Design and Environmental Analysis, teaches an award-winning course on collaborative sustainable building practice.

“... teams of faculty are now collaborating on smart-grid technology, energy generation and distribution in the built environment, and behavior change. The Climate Action Plan ensures Cornell remains at the cutting-edge of applied research, enhances our landgrant mission to educate the public, and dramatically reduces our carbon footprint.�

Jefferson Tester, the Croll Professor for Sustainable Energy Systems, heads up the Engineered Geothermal Systems (EGS) research and demonstration effort.

“The Climate Action Plan is a guiding framework for Cornell to help America enter a new era of innovation and sustainable economic development. I envision EGS as just one element of a diverse campus demonstration of renewable energy providing research and educational benefits for dozens of programs.�

Local, Renewable Bioenergy

Mike Hoffmann, Director, Cornell's Agricultural Experiment Station

“The Cornell University Renewable Bioenergy Initiative (CURBI) is powerful by itself.

The potential for research, education, outreach, and job creation are immense, generating broad interest among our funding partners and communities across New York State. The CAP not only supports this effort, it also shows its value within a broader context...