Wellesley College
Fossil Fuel Divestment:
Webinar on Recommendations Proposed by the Sustainability Committee
Sustainability is:
Wellesley: Decarbonization and Divestment
Justice, Peace, and Social Welfare
Without sustainability as a core lived value, how can we achieve excellence for all now and into the future?
“We move that Academic Council express its desire to take part in the College’s shared commitment to a fossil-fuel-free future by tasking the AY 2020-2021 Sustainability Committee with identifying a suite of concrete actions that the faculty body will take that will:
Proposed Recommendations
Proposed Recommendations
Catering
Proposed Recommendations
Catering
Energy
Proposed Recommendations
Catering
Energy
Transportation
Proposed Recommendations
Catering
Energy
Transportation
Infrastructure
Faculty, staff, and student decarbonization project summary
Target area / Program | Stakeholder | CO2 (Metric Tons)/Year Saved | Cost Savings |
Catering/Dining | Faculty/Staff: AC lunches�Student: 50% red meat reduction | 0.087* 192 | Negligible�$74,000 |
Transportation | Faculty: Conference travel Students: Busing | 135�70 | $92,400�$116,838 |
Mini-fridges | Faculty/Staff: facilitate recycling�Students: conservation fee | 2�21 | ~$500 �$30,000 |
Hot water Heating/Cooling | Community-wide | 26 1,618 | $8,397 $213,069 |
Total | | 2,064 MT CO2 (for context 2010 emissions baseline is 32,600 MT CO2) | $535, 263 |
*potentially higher if adopted for more events
Plant-based Catering Default
Lowering meat consumption and reducing food waste is one way our community can reduce our carbon footprint on campus
301 lbs
CO2 / year
Ordering 160 meat-based sandwiches every year at Academic Council
This is the equivalent of driving from Boston, MA to Baltimore, MD
[332 miles]
Baltimore MD
Boston
Catering Savings (from just one event- AC meetings): 0.1 MT CO2
Total Savings (so far): 0.1 MT CO2
We are recommending that food ordering practices are modified to a “plant-based” catering default, where individuals still have an option to request meat-based options if needed.
Proposed Recommendation
Mini Fridges
Mini-fridges are both cost- and carbon-intensive, so we should look into ways of recycling as many as possible
Running 100 mini fridges an entire year
26,300 kWh / year
$2,500 / year
7 MT CO2 / year
Per fridge the emissions are about 154 lbs CO2 / year, which is the emissions equivalent of driving from Wellesley to Albany, NY.
[173 miles]
Albany
NY
Three Policy Options:
Three Policy Options:
Three Policy Options:
Three Policy Options:
We recommend that the community consider recycling their mini-fridge through the Office of Sustainability if it is underutilized.
Fridge Savings: $559 & 2 MT CO2
Total Savings (so far): $559 & 2.1 MT CO2
Proposed Recommendation
Water Fountains
Using heated and chilled water tends to be another carbon intensive action our community partakes in throughout the day
99,965 kWh / year
$8,397 / year
26 MT CO2 / year
Chilling water for 119 units every year
Per water fountain the emissions are about 482 lbs CO2 / year, which is the emissions equivalent of driving from Wellesley to Richmond, VA.
[542 miles]
Richmond
VA
Proposed Recommendation
Water Fountain Savings: $8,397 & 26 MT CO2
Total Savings (so far): $8,956 & 26.1 MT CO2
We recommend that the community support a Facilities-led energy efficiency project to reduce chilled water by disconnecting chillers at water fountains and bottle filling stations across campus.
New Temperature Proposal
Heating and cooling buildings on campus is one of the biggest generators of carbon emissions
though it presents us with one of the
biggest opportunities for carbon reduction
22,960 dth / year
$ 213,000 / year
1,618 MT CO2 / year
Lowering the heating setting to 68 degrees would result in an 8% reduction in natural gas use
68
72
℉
℉
Our group is also continuing to analyze cooling savings
Per person on campus the average emission savings would be 742 lbs CO2 / year, which is the emissions equivalent of driving from Wellesley to Charlotte, NC.
[836 miles]
Charlotte
NC
Proposed Recommendation
Temperature Policy Savings: $213,069 & 1,618 MT CO2
Total Savings (so far): $222,025 & 1,644 MT CO2
We recommend that the community support a proposal for a new energy savings initiative to update campus temperature settings
Parking
Commuting & Transportation
Most of us commute to work by car. Public transportation is limited, so commuting by car is hardly a matter of choice for those of us who don’t live in walking or biking distance to campus.
Parking on Campus
Parking on Campus
Parking on Campus
Parking on Campus
Parking on Campus
Parking on Campus
Parking Data
Institution | Student Body Size (undergrad) | Campus Size (acres) | Campus Type | Average Student Fee (annual) | Average Faculty Fee (annual) |
Swarthmore | 1,594 | 425 | Suburban | $100.00 | $0.00 |
Pomona | 1,717 | 140 | Suburban | $120.00 | $0.00 |
Washington & Lee | 1,822 | 430 | Suburban | $65.00 | $0.00 |
Amherst | 1,855 | 1,000 | Suburban | $60.00 | $0.00 |
Mount Holyoke | 2,190 | 800 | Suburban | $125.00 | $0.00 |
Babson | 2,350 | 370 | Suburban | $125.00 | $0.00 |
Wellesley | 2,391 | 500 | Suburban | $135.00 | $0.00 |
Smith | 2,600 | 147 | Suburban | $150.00 | $0.00 |
Oberlin | 2,846 | 440 | Suburban | $150.00 | $0.00 |
University of Richmond | 3,215 | 350 | Suburban | $112.50 | $0.00 |
Brandeis | 3,688 | 235 | Suburban | $143.00 | $0.00 |
Mean | 2,388 | 440 | - | $116.86 | $0.00 |
Median | 2,350 | 425 | - | $125.00 | $0.00 |
Proposed Recommendation
Parking Policy Savings: N/A
Total Savings (so far): $222,025 & 1,644 MT CO2
Our current recommendation is not to include a faculty parking fee in our portfolio of divestment actions and that other options, such as visitor parking fees, are further explored
Will add photo of parking garage
Faculty Conference Travel
In FY 2019, per faculty member the average emissions are about 7.63 MT CO2/year, which 35% higher than our faculty peers at Middlebury
Based on: Fiscal year 2019 data
$92,400 / year
135 MT CO2 / year
We travel all over the globe, and for 2019 the estimate of total faculty miles traveled is 4,000,000
“It is imperative to support faculty conference travel generously. Instituting a general fee for air travel appears as a responsible measure to offset the tremendous carbon footprint associated with this type of transportation.”
Reimagining the way we travel for a more sustainable future
Proposed Recommendation
Travel Program Savings: $92,400 & 135 MT CO2
Total Savings (so far): $314,425 & 1,779 MT CO2
“For all faculty on term appointment (including assistant professors to all NTT faculty) the current program would remain unchanged, allocating $2,000/AY to conference travel. For tenured faculty the program would change to $3,000/2AY (permitting roll overs). In addition, all domestic flights would incur a $20 carbon fee while international flights would be charged $35.”
Internal Carbon Pricing Feebate Program
Peers with Internal Carbon Charge Programs
What is an internal carbon charge program?
“A tax (typical rates are around 1.25%) on department operational budgets diverts funds to fuel projects aimed at reaching carbon neutrality”
Possible Carbon Neutrality Projects
Facilities energy efficiency projects
Incentivize innovation in faculty scholarship and the curriculum
Or other initiatives that haven’t been researched yet
Proposed Recommendation
“We believe that when our community is ready, an appropriately designed internal carbon pricing program could lead to institutionalizing sustainability into our community’s DNA. We are proposing additional research on this project, however this goes beyond the original charge to the Sustainability Committee.”
Next Steps
Faculty, staff, and student decarbonization project summary
Target area / Program | Stakeholder | CO2 (Metric Tons)/Year Saved | Cost Savings |
Catering/Dining | Faculty/Staff: AC lunches�Student: 50% red meat reduction | 0.087* 192 | Negligible�$74,000 |
Transportation | Faculty: Conference travel Students: Busing | 135�70 | $92,400�$116,838 |
Mini-fridges | Faculty/Staff: facilitate recycling�Students: conservation fee | 2�21 | ~$500 �$30,000 |
Hot water Heating/Cooling | Community-wide | 26 1,618 | $8,397 $213,069 |
Total | | 2,064 MT CO2 (for context 2010 emissions baseline is 32,600 MT CO2) | $535, 263 |
*potentially higher if adopted for more events
Engagement Opportunities
Proposal Feedback Survey (available in the Webinar Google Form)
Town halls (community wide invites to follow)
9 April 1:00-2:00 pm EST
14 April 10:00-11:00 am EST
To all the members of AC and for all those that we have collaborated with already - thank you. We have been asked to do much during times when there are many additional demands placed on us and yet as we have all affirmed -- a collective approach to decarbonizing our community is a task that is at the heart of our newly articulated vision for ourselves
Acknowledgements
Webinar Contributors
Narrators
Webinar Collaborators
Data contributors