Location: Facilities Conference Room
Time: 8:30 am
Present Kim Smith, Martha Larson, Steve Spehn, Zander Deetz, Jackson Van Fleet
Absent MacKenzie Persen, Greta Simons, Jesse Gourevitch
Secretary: Alex Lai
- Take Back The Tap Endorsement (Courtney Dufford)
The committee discussed a request from student organization Take Back The Tap to endorse a bottled water ban on campus. The campaign has already passed a CSA resolution and obtained approval from the History and Chemistry departments, and has worked with Facilities to install more water bottle filling stations throughout campus. The next programs to be targeted are packout lunches provided by Bon Appetit and sports concessions, both of which can replace bottled water with alternative beverages. The committee noted that although Bon Appetit may still want to provide bottled water for those who specifically request it, the college can still educate the community about bottled water, promote its status as a bottled water-free campus as long as bottled water isn’t provided automatically. Courtney added that at Macalester College (which has already banned bottled water), reusable bottles filled with chilled water are sold for $3 as an alternative concession at sports games. The committee unanimously approved the endorsement of the ban.
- Funding Request: Food Systems Workshop (Anna Larson)
The committee reviewed a funding request from Anna Larson for a Food Systems Workshop on October 25, hosted by student organization Food Truth and facilitated by Real Food Challenge Midwest Campus Coordinator and Carleton alum Katie Blanchard ’10. Anna described the workshop, which aims to teach attendees about how corporate food systems work and what they can do to get involved with alternative food movements, and noted that the workshop would be an opportunity to bring together interested students with varying levels of involvement. The committee unanimously approved $200 in funding, encouraging Anna to apply for other sources of funding as well.
- Sightlines GHG Inventory
The committee reviewed GHG emissions data from Sightlines, the data management and benchmarking company that Carleton uses to track emissions and compare with other liberal arts colleges. Carleton belongs to a peer group comprised largely of East Coast liberal arts colleges, which are similar in terms of size, technology development, and proportion of residential to non-residential space. Carleton varies from the others, however, in that the campus is less dense than average, and therefore requires more energy to heat it, particularly during winter months that are colder in Minnesota than on the East Coast.
GHG emissions are divided into three categories: Scope 1 direct emissions, which are produced on campus; Scope 2 upstream emissions, which are purchased; and Scope 3 indirect emissions, which are the least straightforward to track. From fiscal year 2011 to fiscal year 2012, Scope 1 and 2 emissions levels decreased, likely due to an unusually warm winter and increased wind turbine capacity, respectively; Scope 3 emissions remained approximately constant. The committee noted that reporting more accurate waste data that reflect our growing shift from landfill to compost could potentially reduce emissions due to waste (part of Scope 3). Additionally, travel emissions (also part of Scope 3) could be reduced using offsets, as Carleton doesn’t want to discourage conference or OCS travel or prevent staff and faculty from living in Minneapolis/St. Paul.
Carleton’s fossil fuel consumption was higher than average among East Coast peer group, which consume 23% less on average, but the committee noted that our fossil fuel use is higher than Carleton’s at other Midwest schools, on average. Likewise, our electricity grid included much more coal than that of our peer schools’, which reflects Xcel’s current energy profile of only 13% renewables. The committee identified structural changes as having the greatest potential impact on emissions, particularly changes in methods and energy sources for heating and cooling.
IV. Meeting Adjourned