And The First Carbon-Neutral College Campus In The U.S. Is...
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 12.21.07
The College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine!
That's right folks, the college is so small you could drive by it a hundred times before you realized it exists, but the 300 students at the College of the Atlantic can proudly say that they attend the first carbon-neutral college campus in the U.S.
Of course, with just 300 students they're not so big on academic diversity either. Featuring just one major, Human Ecology. But that doesn't mean they aren't setting the course and the standard for everyone else regardless of size.
In fact, just think of how big a chunk of their overall budget the $25,000 invested in the carbon-offsetting efforts of The Climate Trust of Oregon is compared to virtually any other college around. But that investment enabled them to actually meet the commitment put forward by the school's president David Hales way back in October of 2006 to become carbon-neutral by this month.
And it doesn't mean they're stopping here either, because Hales points out that "We have much more to do to directly reduce our emissions, but it is satisfying to know that the last 15 months of College of the Atlantic's contribution to the increase of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere adds up to zero."
Congrats on that!
See also:: College of the Atlantic Announces Intent to Go Carbon-Neutral
via:: CNN
Thirsty for more? Check out these related articles:
- 10 Green Things to Be Thankful For
- 12 Colleges Chosen to Fight Climate Change
- Global Warming Opens Northwest Passage
- First Carbon Neutral Suit Available, But Better Act Fast
The Fife Diet: Will the Wee Bairns Still Ask For McDonalds?
|
Duke Power, BMW Explore Solar Power Partnership
|
This is FANTASTIC.
And so what if they're small? Think Global, Act Local
carbon offsetting. please.
if i poison the Chesapeake Bay with waste run-off and then clean up a dirty river in China, am i really neutral?
what if i shoot someone and then go get a few girls pregnant?
call me when they run the campus on solar power, they grow their own food without using tractors and pesticides, and they make their own clothes from recycled paper.
Los Angeles can offset all over the world if they like, but their city is still going to be covered in a smoggy haze.
i love the environment, but carbon offsetting is not the answer.
think locally. act locally.
Think like a tree...yes, it does take up space, use natural resources locally ... and send its seeds far and wide (globally) and the complex question is, does it put carbon into the enviroment? Yes. But look at what else it does!!!! That's how we need to think about all our activities. For a college to teach human ecology, to work to reduce, avoid and offset emissions...and practice what they preach is a good thing. NOTHING is totally green. Getting there is where we need to focus. Thank you, College of the Atlantic leaders, teachers and students for making progress with honorable efforts! Carolyn, California Green Solutions.