TU's greenhouse effect

Average student sends equivalent of 1.5 tons of waste to landfill per year, less than some peers

Results of a campus greenhouse gas emissions audit revealed that Towson University is outperforming some peer institutions with fewer greenhouse gas emissions per student.

“TU is taking action—we’re finding greener ways to operate our campus for everyone who works, lives, and learns here,” said President Robert L. Caret. “That includes building LEED certified buildings, creating incentives for alternative transportation, promoting Trayless Tuesdays in dining halls to reduce water waste, and providing single-stream recycling throughout campus.”

TU is on pace to improve its current standing among the median of the schools surveyed. The average Towson student is responsible for about 4.37 metric tons of carbon dioxide a year, or the equivalent of sending 1.5 tons of waste to the landfill. By comparison, students at Ball State University in Indiana emit 10.43 metric tons per person annually, or the equivalent of sending 3.4 tons of waste to the landfill.

TU conducted the audit as a signatory to the American College and University President’s Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), which consists of nearly 600 leading institutions that pledge to neutralize greenhouse gas emissions on their campuses. TU became a signatory through President Caret in September 2007.

TU’s President’s Climate Commitment Committee, chaired by Stephen Showers, associate vice president for facilities management, compiled the research data. Aramark Higher Education completed the inventory by using the Clean Air-Cool Planet carbon calculator.

The audit, a requirement of the commitment, also found that between 2007 and 2008, TU’s total greenhouse gas, or GHG, emissions from all sources was 86,390 metric tons of carbon dioxide. Powering, heating and cooling are responsible for more than two-thirds of the emissions. Transportation (including commuters, university fleet and air travel) accounted for an additional 28 percent.

TU’s next steps include developing an action plan for neutrality by September 15, 2009. To help meet that objective, TU has established the following action items: ensure that all new buildings are LEED-Silver certified; provide and promote public transportation services; and participate in the national RecycleMania program to reduce waste.

For more information on Towson’s Go Green campaign, visit http://www.towson.edu/gogreen. To view the GHG reports for all ACUPCC signatories go to http://www.aashe.org/pcc/reports/.