Category: Press & Presentations

Blog written by Brooke McKelvey, CEEM’s Communications and Marketing Intern, who is a senior at Carleton College.

Since its first greenhouse gas inventory in 2008, Carleton College in Northfield, MN has reduced its carbon footprint by 68%. In 2021, the College completed its Utility Master Plan, a plan that focuses on upgrading campus facilities to reduce operating costs and emissions, with the goal of making the college carbon neutral by 2050.

The Northfield, Minnesota college shut down its last boiler in May—a milestone in its commitment to a carbon-free campus by 2050

On May 21, 2021 Carleton turned off steam power for the last time ever. This concludes 111 years of using steam to fuel our campus and help students survive Minnesota winters. The college has now fully transitioned to hot water geothermal power, a shift that indicates Phase 2 of the Utility Master Plan has been completed.

An article in The Carletonian written by Beck Woolen ’23 shares some exciting news about the future use of an iconic Carleton landmark.

Artists-in-residence Leslie Grant and Casey Demming share their final work from the summer of 2019, with poems and readings that detail labor, highlight its necessity in modern society, and expresses gratitude for those who built our structures.

The Carletonian published an all-sustainability issue for the sixth week of winter term 2020, right in time for the Sustainability Office’s Climate Action Week. The Utility Master Plan made the front page with the feature story: “Carleton on track to meet interim emissions goal as geothermal project enters second phase.”

Janet Scannell, Carleton’s Chief Technology Officer, talks energy use in some of the College’s most energy-intensive spaces — computer labs and the data center. With the UMP, the heat pump can recycle the waste heat given off in these spaces and redistribute to cooler areas of campus. Read more about Carleton’s digital footprint.

Martha Larson, Carleton’s Manager of Campus Energy and Sustainability and lead project manager for the Utility Master Plan, talks shop with Dave Karlsgodt of Fovea LLC about the replacement of steam to a hot water / geothermal district heating system. Give it a listen here.

Xcel Energy and Carleton College have similar goals to reducing carbon emissions. See the joint press release on the right to see how a utility company and a college can work together to achieve carbon neutrality.

Fred Rogers ’72, Carleton’s Vice President and Treasurer, presented at the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) Annual Conference in Austin, Texas. Fred’s poster was titled “Why Hot Water is a Win-Win” in reference to the College’s transition from steam to low-temperature hot water to heat the campus, which will reduce emissions and operating costs, as well as upgrade a 100-year-old district heating system for the 21st century.