Berea College completed its GHG inventory in 2009 and, with the inclusion of its 8000+ acre forest as a carbon sink, it is carbon neutral. However, we will continue to take steps to decrease emissions.

In September 2007, the College created the Subcommittee on Sustainability II, charged to develop strategic directions for sustainability efforts at the College. The Subcommittee’s March 2009 report placed sustainability in the context of the College’s historic mission to promote social justice and plain living. The Subcommittee included initiatives to minimize energy use, CO2 emissions, and natural resource consumption. Noting that “this work is urgent in both practical and moral terms…,” the Subcommittee recommended these specific initiatives:
• Seeking ways to reduce consumption of fossil fuels and CO2 production and moving toward carbon neutrality;
• Reducing consumption of natural resources directly and indirectly;
• Creating a culture of sustainability through education;
• Extending the College’s initiatives to the larger community.

Over the last decade the College has made great strides in reduction of energy use and in other sustainability practices. Energy use, as measured by BTUs of energy purchased for campus heating, cooling, and electricity, declined more than 50% between 1998 and 2009. Investment in a new central heat plant, as well as a focus on ecologically responsible renovations, resulted in great gains in efficiency.

Now a detailed assessment of our current buildings and systems is necessary to determine next steps. Such work will provide information on the conditions of the physical assets, as well as a complete assessment of our ability to measure, collect, and analyze energy data efficiently. With data in hand, we can determine the investments in equipment and education needed to decrease further our energy use and carbon footprint.

Another outcome from the study will be a greater understanding of how Berea’s energy use compares to that of similar colleges and universities. Our limited analysis indicates we fall generally in the middle of peer institutions, due largely to our dependence on coal-generated electricity. As a customer of Berea Municipal Utilities, the only renewable energy we are using is that generated by the small solar arrays on campus. Berea Utilities purchases all their power from Kentucky Utilities, and it is coal generated.

The objectives of the energy assessment project and development of an energy management program are fourfold:
• Reduce overall energy use for the College;
• Reduce the carbon footprint for the College;
• Reduce energy costs (in constant dollars) over time;
• Provide data and methods to assist in education of students, faculty, staff, and the larger community in energy issues, as they relate to the operation of the Berea College campus.

The service provider we are currently seeking for the project will conduct each building assessment, noting possible improvement projects, and make adjustments to systems and settings, thereby optimizing system performance. This will allow for immediate gains in efficiencies. We expect to be able to use the results of the audits and the initial set of recommended actions to determine aggressive, reasonable, clearly defined numeric targets for further reductions in energy use and associated costs.

The physical assessments and development of energy information systems will allow us to determine projects, using both human and financial capital, to reduce energy use, energy costs, and the College’s carbon footprint.

This energy plan will be incorporated in an overall Climate Action Plan, with goals related to reductions in emissions from Scopes 1, 2, and 3, goals and action plans related to incorporating sustainability and climate neutrality even more fully into the curriculum and the College’s research initiatives, and for expanding the culture of sustainability on campus and in the larger community. The full action plan will require a concerted effort over the next several months, and will be constructed using the recommendations of the SOS II and subsequent recommendations and guidelines established within the College’s governance structures and processes.

No information provided

Berea College completed its GHG inventory in 2009 and, with the inclusion of its 8000+ acre forest as a carbon sink, it is carbon neutral. However, we will continue to take steps to decrease emissions. The College’s long-term commitment to sustainability has resulted in a reduction of over 50% of its carbon footprint from purchased electricity and fuel for heat sources over the last ten years. This has been achieved through replacement of a coal burning heat plant and steam distribution system with an efficient closed loop system and natural gas central plant, through a series of sustainable building renovations and a focus on conservation and recognition of sustainability as a core value of the College. Next steps include a complete audit of all facilities, retro-commissioning of buildings and systems, improved real-time reporting systems for users, improved data collection and analysis and developing energy related projects and initiatives to achieve further significant reductions in GHG emissions. This work is planned to begin Spring of 2010 and generate GHG emission reductions within the first twelve months.

The College is also beginning to act upon recommendations from the “Subcommittee on Sustainability II” (SOS II) that include: 1.) Immediately seeking ways to reduce the College’s consumption of non-renewable fuels and CO2 production and move continuously toward carbon neutrality; 2.) reducing consumption of natural resources; 3.) enhancing Berea’s culture of sustainability, both on campus and in the larger community; 4.) establishment of a permanent Governance/action group to oversee sustainability efforts; and 5.) instituting a Sustainability Officer position at a high administrative level, with broad scope to work with departments, programs and committees involved in sustainability efforts. The officer would be charged with collection and analysis of related data, with planning and goal setting, assessment of outcomes, and assisting the community in the creation of the sustainability culture.

Currently, sustainability is well established within the curriculum. The Sustainability and Environmental Studies (SENS) Program officially offers a minor as well as sponsorship for an independent SENS major. The Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR) and Biology Departments also offer sustainability- and/or ecology-related course offerings as part of their academic curricula. The ANR curriculum also focuses on ecology and sustainable management of resources concentration in sustainable systems. The ANR degree requires at least one SENS course, and some students also choose to complete a minor in SENS.

Numerous other academic programs/departments cross-list courses with SENS and/or include substantial related material, and many of the required General Studies (GSTR) courses required of all students include at least one SENS section. Students can also use SENS courses to meet other GST requirements such as Practical Reasoning, Practical Reasoning with Quantitative Emphasis, and the Active Learning Requirement.

No information provided

Expansion of Berea College’s efforts to lead both the College community and the larger community to create cultures of sustainability is one of the recommendations of the SOS II. Many faculty, staff and students of the College already participate in local and regional efforts to encourage sustainability through local foods initiatives, energy conservation initiatives, participation in community forums and work-groups, and work with the many local organizations and grass-roots efforts to incorporate sustainable living practices into our community culture.