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Greenhouse gas emissions at Elon remain lower than they were five years ago even as the university has added more buildings, employees and students, and campus sustainability leaders said they believe the trend is a result of educational programs and institutional commitments to energy efficiency, conservation and sustainable construction practices.
The university’s latest Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory has found that emissions are 4.2 percent lower compared to baseline readings in 2008. The decrease is in large part due to campus energy consumption.
“Conducting a yearly emissions inventory is essential to monitor progress toward Elon’s goal of carbon neutrality set forth in the Sustainability Master Plan,” said Elaine Durr, Elon’s director of sustainability.
Energy consumption is the largest source of Elon’s greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for 57.3 percent of total emissions in the latest inventory. Transportation (35.4 percent of emissions) ranked second on the list. Transportation includes study abroad travel, commuter travel, fuel use in the university fleet, faculty and staff business travel and athletic team travel.
Commuter travel accounts for 10 percent of Elon’s emissions. Commuting students today are making fewer trips to campus and are traveling a shorter distance. A larger percentage of commuting students are utilizing the BioBus, with fewer trips per week, than they were two years ago. Forty-five percent of students who commute to campus say they carpool about three days a week.
About 10 percent of faculty and staff carpool to campus, a slight decrease from two years ago. The average roundtrip mileage for faculty and staff did not change substantially from the previous commuter survey conducted in 2010.
Though emissions remain lower today than they were in 2008, they aren’t as low as they have been. Emissions rose slightly between 2011 and 2012, an increase attributed primarily to directly financed travel and purchased electricity. An increase in faculty and staff business travel is the primary cause for the increase in directly financed travel, which could be the result of improved data collection and/or more actual travel.
Emissions from purchased electricity increased from fiscal year 2011 to 2012, likely the result of adding 115,006 square feet of building space to campus. “We're adding more efficient buildings, and we’re taking down inefficient ones,” Durr said. “What we’re building back in some cases is more square footage than what we took down, but it’s more efficient.”
The Office of Sustainability completed the greenhouse gas emissions inventory with the assistance of a student intern. The office collected data from numerous departments, ranging from the Physical Plant for electricity and natural gas consumption to the Office of Human Resources for information on university employment.
The Climate Action Plan was completed in spring 2010 and serves as a roadmap for carrying out projects designed to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions. The plan is a living, flexible document that will be revised as technology, research and incentives develop.
To learn more about the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory and Climate Action Plan, visit the climate page of the Office of Sustainability website. To learn more about the greenhouse gas emissions summer internship opportunity, email sustainability@elon.edu.
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by Eric Townsend, Staff Last Updated - 3/21/2013
The keynote speaker for this year’s conference is Wendy Lustbader, MSW, who currently serves as Affiliate Associate Professor at the University of Washington School of Social Work. Ms. Lustbader has considerable experience working with older people, their families and caregivers, and lectures nationally on subjects related to aging. As a medical social worker, she specialized for almost twenty years in out-patient mental health at the Pike Market Medical Clinic in Seattle, and has also practiced in a home health care agency, hospital geriatric unit, and nursing home. Ms. Lustbader’s first book was co-authored with Nancy Hooyman, Taking Care of Aging Family Members. This is a practical guide to caregiving which is still considered the best book of its kind by experts in the field of aging. At the opening reception on Sunday, February 10th, Ms. Lustbader will speak about her latest book, Life Gets Better: The Unexpected Pleasures of Growing Older.
The conference will also host a webinar with world-renowned American contemporary spiritual teacher and author Ram Dass. He is known for his personal and professional associations with Timothy Leary at Harvard University in the early 1960's, for his travels to India and his relationship with the Hindu guru Neem Karoli Baba, and for founding the charitable organizations Seva Foundation and Hanuman Foundation. His practice of karma yoga or spiritual service has opened up millions to their deep, yet individuated spiritual practice and path. Dass continues to uphold the boddhisatva ideal for others through his compassionate sharing of true knowledge and vision. His unique skill in getting people to cut through and feel divine love without dogma is still a positive influence on people all over the world.
Dr. James E. Birren is one of the "reigning pioneers" in the organized field of gerontology since the 1940s. He is a past president of The Gerontological Society of America, and author of over 250 publications. Dr. Birren will receive Fielding's Creative Longevity and Wisdom Award in recognition of his six decades of seminal contributions including the influential work on guided autobiography.
Featured speaker Dr. Brian de Vries, Professor of Gerontology at San Francisco State University, and will share his extensive work on aging experiences, including bereavement among gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender adults. He is a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of American, a member of the Leadership Council for the American Society on Aging, and co-chair of the Lesbian and Gay Aging Issues Network constituency group. Most recently, Dr. de Vries has become a policy advisor for AARP, California. 
