Green Tip of the Week: Keep the Tons Down on Earth

October 26, 2009

Question: I know we’re trying to reduce CO2 in the entire atmosphere – as in last week’s worldwide 350 movement –  but small places like Fairfield can’t help much, can we?

Answer:  We each can do more than you’d think.

Background and Explanation:

Note:  This seems like a harder subject than it really is.  So I’ve tried to pare it down to a takeaway for everyone.  Just the basics.

Remember how the 350 movement is trying to reduce the current 390 parts per million of CO2 in our atmosphere down to 350?  Well, Fairfield University helped put that 390 up there.  If we helped raise it, we can help bring it down.

(Helpful hint:  CO2 in the atmosphere really means CO2e, where “e” means “equivalents,” including other greenhouse gases. CO2e is the key concept here.)

Here’s the first big news:  Fairfield University just had its carbon footprint measured.  That means a Consultant helped us calculate how many tons of CO2e we put into the atmosphere each year.  His report came out in May, 2009.

Why did we have a consultant?  Because President von Arx signed on to the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC).  So now we’re committed to reducing our annual CO2e emissions.

Dana August, President of the Student Environmental Association, is one of those studying the numbers.  She’s working to suggest a base line from which we can measure our in annual CO2e emissions, because we’re planning to bring them down.

Simply, here are our CO2e emissions for 2008.  Dana first shared them with me, and then I read the report myself:

Direct energy consumption on campus:  13,779 metric tons of CO2e
Purchased electricity:                                    6,289 metric tons of CO2e
Faculty, staff, and student commuting:     6,972 metric tons of CO2e

Total CO2e emissions for 2008:                27,040 metric tons of CO2e

According to Dana, this amounts to 6.1 metric tons per full-time student.  Oh, my.

So What Can We Each Do?

One answer:  When we are using greener cars, in the near future, our CO2e will decrease.

Another answer:  We can get by with less electricity.

But how will using less electricity make a dent in all those tons?  A ton is 2000 pounds!.

It will make a big dent. Saving one kilowatt saves 1.5 pounds of CO2e.  Now that’s tangible.  And one good website called Green Living Tips spells out how to save many pounds.   Even tons.

Here are some samples:

•    Laptop computers save about half a ton of CO2e per year over desktops. (That’s for coal-fired electricity – check out their numbers yourself.)

•    We can save 10% of our total electricity use—the “standby” or “phantom” power–just by unplugging our devices from the power outlet, or switching them off at the wall, when we’re not using them.  Many more pounds of CO2e.

There’s a lot more advice on this site about saving electricity.  Apparently a single person can save tons of CO2e emissions each year.  That’s a significant dent in the tons of CO2e surging skyward.

When first I read this website, it was late at night.  I walked over and unplugged my laptop charger.  Then I unplugged my cell phone charger.

Typically I charge my laptop and cell phone overnight, but why?  I wondered.  They’re already fully charged when I go to bed, so what am I doing?   Answer:  I’m throwing a few more pounds of CO2e into the atmosphere.

Time to stop.