Submitted on February 21, 2012; last updated on January 3, 2013
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The college developed an energy master plan that, when implemented, will create a more formal process of managing energy for both owned and leased properties. The plan covers all areas of energy management including procurement of supply, transmission, monitoring of energy use, conservation measures and capital improvements. If the college were to implement all of the energy conservation measures discussed in the energy master plan and this carbon action plan, an estimated 607 MT of CO2e would be saved each year, and 11,872 MT of CO2e over the lifetime of the projects. By 2023 this would equal a 10% reduction in emissions (Figure 3).
SUNY Empire State College is taking on the challenge to be more than an institution that prepares people for the workforce. The Environmental Sustainability Committee is helping to move the college toward the goal of creating learners that live responsibly and understand how their actions impact the greater world. The college will go beyond emissions reduction and encourage students to embed an awareness of environmental sustainability issues in their academic programs so that every student graduates ready to engage the challenges their field of study will confront in the 21st century. In the words of President Davis, “By 2015, Empire State College will be serving a growing body of students while generating a smaller carbon foot print, providing a full array of studies and degree programs related to environmental sustainability, and modeling environmentally sensitive behavior in communities across the state.”
An effort to be engaged in the local community has increased and will continue to grow as efforts in carbon reduction grow. All across the state our centers engage with the local community from offering free lectures on sustainability topics to picking up trash at local parks and hosting Recyclemania events for local institutions of higher education. The college is committed to publicizing efforts in greenhouse gas reduction as a way to lead local communities by example.