Mount Wachusett Community College recently released its Climate Action Plan detailing the college's commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2020.

The climate action plan, submitted in January to the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, builds upon the college's existing initiatives in renewable energy and conservation. The plan outlines steps to reduce MWCC's greenhouse gas emissions to 30 percent below its 2000 levels by the end of this year, reach a 60-percent emissions reduction by 2012, and create a zero-emissions campus in a decade.

"Our efforts to make Mount Wachusett Community College a sustainable campus began more than eight years ago, putting us at the forefront of the campus climate movement," said college President Daniel M. Asquino. "This action plan continues a swift pace toward achieving carbon neutrality, while also outlining new educational opportunities for students and the environmental benefits to our region."

The plan, "Moving Toward Zero: Climate Action at the Mount," was prepared by Paul Wolff, MWCC's director of sustainability and energy management, and submitted to the ACUPCC in January. In addition to supporting the ACUPCC goal of carbon neutrality, the college's plan also establishes a framework for reducing carbon emissions that is consistent with Massachusetts Executive Order 484, the New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers Climate Action Plan the Architecture 2030 Challenge.

 

As an original signatory of the ACUPCC, Mount Wachusett has made a public pledge to reduce its carbon footprint and minimize its future impact on global warming. As a result, the college has aggressively pursued the use of renewable energy sources on the Gardner campus including biomass heating, biomass gasification, photovoltaics, solar thermal, geothermal and soon, wind power. In addition, the college recently completed 11 new Energy Conservation Measures, including lighting retrofits for the main campus and the Fitness & Wellness Center, new lighting controls and heating and air conditioning upgrades, for additional energy and cost savings.

 

The report documents the college's existing sustainability practices and curriculum developments, including the creation of a new degree program in Energy Management. It also highlights student engagement in sustainability initiatives, including the outreach activities of The Green Society, and the creation of a Community Garden, a Farmers' Market and a composting program that recycles food waste from the cafeteria and kitchen for use in an organic garden that produces food for the kitchen.

 

Goals through 2012 include completing the wind turbine project, developing a "Center for Sustainability" at the college and pursuing LEED certification for the Gardner campus.

 

Had the college not shifted toward renewable energy and energy conservation, "our emissions would be double what they are now," Wolff said. "And it's not just a nice thing to do for the environment, but it's a terrific investment that far exceeds the performance of any other investment that could have been pursued. Collectively, the last round of Energy Conservation Measures had a return on investment of over 573 percent."