Carbon Neutral Since 2013?

Colby prides itself on its carbon neutrality. Having achieved the goal in 2013, the Green Colby website boasts that the College “has now been carbon neutral longer than any other college or university in the U.S.” LEED-certification plaques are hung prominently in many newer buildings like Harold Alfond Athletics and Recreation Center, boasting adherence to the highest standards of sustainable building. Colby advertises its use of biomass and solar energy, as well as the geothermal heating installed in several new buildings. The College claims it “provides students with a real-life example of sustainable living that will accompany them long after graduation.” What is that example? 

First, Colby’s carbon-neutral status. Let’s make one thing clear: purchasing a carbon credit for a certain calculated amount of CO2 is a far worse option than not producing the CO2 in the first place. Calculating emissions or calculating the value of a particular offset requires estimates that can vary widely in accuracy. An offset that, for example, preserves a certain acreage of forest can’t possibly guarantee that it isn’t harvested at a later date. Many offsets include reforestation, which is a great practice on its own, but the cute baby trees planted in these projects won’t sequester a meaningful amount of carbon for decades. We don’t have decades. Carbon offsets vary widely in quality, can be double counted, and are not well regulated. They can’t be a substitute for real reductions in emissions. 

LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Certification, is a global green building certification program where construction projects can earn credits to qualify for several tiers of LEED certification. While it is a great first step for building sustainability, it’s complicated, and can exaggerate its actual impact. Have you ever wondered why there’s a shower on the first floor of Diamond? I’ve admittedly always thought it was a strange design choice, but there’s a reason. A shower for cyclists commuting to work is required under LEED v4. Bike racks also earn points (and provide somewhere to advertise “carbon neutral since 2013”). As these examples demonstrate, it’s possible to game the system with easy point options that do relatively little to mitigate emissions. 

Understanding the College’s energy mix requires a distinction to be made between carbon neutrality and renewability. Carbon neutral power sources, like solar or wind, don’t produce CO2 as a byproduct of operation. Renewable sources, including organic biomass fuels such as wood, still produce greenhouse gases when they are burned. Colby’s biomass plant uses wood chips with natural gas as a backup, which is better than oil, but produces far more emissions than, say, wind or solar power. As for other renewables, the solar panels on top of the Schair-Swenson-Watson Alumni Center only provide 10-15% of that building’s energy, per the College’s website, and our nearby array produces only about 16% of Colby’s energy needs. Additionally, while some new construction projects are powered by geothermal energy, the JoPos, another new build, run on natural gas.

All of this is not to say that the College’s current efforts to reduce emissions aren’t steps in the right direction. They result in drastically lower emissions than most colleges, and Colby is still a national example, although the tangible example many campus sustainability practices set for students, like heavy use of plastic or food waste, are debatable. 2013 shouldn’t represent a finish line, but a benchmark in a longer process of achieving sustainability. With an endowment of over a billion dollars and the resources that the College has, why not shoot for carbon negative? A goal like this would show a commitment not only to the label of carbon neutrality, but to the spirit, too.

~ Brynne Robbins `26