Campus Carbon Inventory Challenges and Responses

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Campus Carbon Inventory Challenges and Responses

• Matthias Ruth
• Roy F. Weston Chair in Natural Economics
• Director, Center for Integrative Environmental
  Research
• Co-Director, Engineering and Public Policy
• University of Maryland

Ramy Serour Ph.D. Candidate Marine, Estuarine and
Environmental Sciences and Center for
Integrative Environmental Research University of
Maryland
Shady Grove, May 1, 2008
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Campus Carbon InventoryChallenges and Responses

• UMD College Park
• Climate Commitment
• Carbon Inventory
• Climate Action Plan

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Campus Carbon InventoryChallenges and Responses

• UMD College Park
• Climate Commitment
• Carbon Inventory
• Climate Action Plan

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Campus Carbon InventoryChallenges and Responses

• UMD College Park
• Climate Commitment
• Carbon Inventory
• Climate Action Plan

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UMD College Park Climate Commitment

• ACUPCC

• Spring 2007 Signature of Commitment
• By November 15, 2007
• Create Institutional Structure to Guide Plan
  Development and Implementation
• By November 15, 2008
• Complete GHG Inventory
• Update Biannually
• By November 15, 2009
• Plan for Climate Neutrality

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UMD College Park Climate Commitment

• ACUPCC
• Early Action

• Make climate and sustainability part of
  curriculum and student experience
• Expand research on climate neutrality
• Develop mechanisms to track progress
• Start 2 or more of
• LEED Silver for new buildings
• Energy Star appliances
• Carbon Credits for Air Travel
• Encourage Public Transportation
• 15 of Electricity Renewable Sources
• Sustainable Climate-friendly Investing by
  UM-Foundation

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UMD College Park Climate Commitment

• ACUPCC
• Early Action
• Reporting

• Year 1 GHG Inventory
• Year 2 Climate Action Plan
• Year 3 and Alternating Years GHG Inventory
  and Climate Action Plan Progress Report

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Greenhouse Gas InventoryApproach

• Establish GHG Inventory Taskforce
• Set Scope
• Define Boundary
• Use Clean Air Cool Planet Carbon Calculator
  (standardized, comparison)
• Learn from Other Universities
• Gather and Enter Data
• Analysis, development of recommendations and
  report
• Report posted online
• Briefings to key leaders and stakeholders

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Greenhouse Gas InventoryScope
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Greenhouse Gas InventoryBoundaries

• Definition I Exclude Space Not in Maryland
• Definition II Exclude Space that we neither
  own nor pay for electricity
• Buildings/operations where UMD is tenant
• Graduate Hills Gardens
• Graham Cracker Sorority houses
• South Commons
• Ground leases
• UMUC
• USM Shady Grove
• 275 buildings representing 12.7 million square
  feet of building space College Park buildings,
  Maryland Fire Rescue Institute facilities,
  Maryland Agriculture Experiment Station state-wide

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Greenhouse Gas InventoryInventoried Sources

• Purchased Electricity
• Generated Electricity and Steam
• Stationary Sources (e.g., emergency
  generators, cooking)
• Refrigerant Releases
• Commuters
• Air Travel
• Mass Transportation (e.g., Shuttle Buses)
• Teaching and Research Farms
• Solid Waste

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Greenhouse Gas InventoryFindings
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Greenhouse Gas InventoryFindings
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Greenhouse Gas InventoryFindings
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Greenhouse Gas InventoryBenchmarking
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Greenhouse Gas InventoryProjections
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Greenhouse Gas InventoryEmissions Reduction
Strategies
Emissions Reduction Strategies
Emissions
1990 present 20xx
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Greenhouse Gas InventoryEmissions Reduction
Strategies
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Greenhouse Gas InventoryEmissions Reduction
Strategies
Emissions Reduction Strategies
Emissions
Conservation Green Construction Power Plant
and Distribution Efficiency Renewable
Energy Carbon Offsets
1990 present 20xx
20yy
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Climate Action Plan

• Power and Operations
• Transportation
• Campus Services and Activities
• Administrative Policies
• Education and Research
• Outreach and In-reach
• Financial Strategies

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Climate Action Plan

• Compilation of action plan items
• Dialog with the campus community
• Quantification of emissions reduction potentials
  and cost
• Identification of co-benefits
• Identification of implementation mechanisms
• Prioritization of actions
• Implementation
• Periodic updating

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For more information

• Matthias Ruth
• mruth1_at_umd.edu
• www.cier.umd.edu