Rensselaer’s Sustainability Charrette
Environment – Economics – Education
Envision – Explore – Exchange
Operations
Carbon Footprint
Energy Consumption
Opportunities
Steve Angle
angles@rpi.edu
April 17 - 18, 2009
Operations - Defined

Operations at Rensselaer involves all day to day
activities that impact the learning and living
environment of Rensselaer students, faculty,
and staff. Specific areas include building
maintenance and cleaning, upkeep of lawn and
garden areas, operation of campus vehicles,
operation of building mechanical and electrical
systems, use of energy and water, food service,
waste disposal, and all construction operations.
The Presidents Climate Commitment
Simplifying the Types of GHG Emissions
All Expressed as Metric Tons of Carbon Dioxide
(MTeCO2)
Scope 2: Emissions from utility
production not at the institution
This slide courtesy of CA-CP
Scope 1: Emissions from the
direct activities of the
campus
Scope 3: Indirect emissions
including transportation,
waste disposal, etc.
Scope 1
• Natural Gas
• Distillate Oil
• Vehicle Fleet
• Fertilizer
• Refrigerants
Scope 2
• Purchased
Electricity
Scope 3
• Faculty/Staff
Commuting
• Student
Commuting
• Student Air
Travel
• Solid Waste
Offsets
• Renewable
Energy Credits
Carbon Emissions by Scope
Carbon Emissions by Type
Air Miles
2%
30,000
Waste
0.3%
25,000
Commute
7%
20,000
15,000
On-Campus
Stationary
39%
10,000
5,000
Electricity
50%
0
Fleet
1%
Refrigerant
1%
Agri.
0.01%
Scope 1
Emissions
Scope 2
Emissions
Scope 3
Emissions
Source
‘08 Units
MTeCO2
% Total
Commuting
Faculty/Staff: 259,488 Gallons
Students: 137,393 Gallons
3,546
7%
Air Travel
Students: 1,001,804 Miles
778
2%
Vehicle Fleet
Gasoline: 61,065 Gallons
Diesel: 8,743 Gallons
634
1%
Refrigerants
880 Pounds
631
1%
Solid Waste
1,062 Short Tons
156
<1%
Agriculture - Fertilizer
903 Pounds
4
<1%
Carbon Management (Clean Air Cool Planet)
Utility Budget - FY 2009
Cost
Usage
Electricity
$ 7,410,394
69,520,635 kWh
Natural Gas
$ 4,066,711
369,502 MMBTU
Oil
$
326,540
202,035 gals
Water
$
842,617
127,515,332 gals
Other
$
110,150
Total
$12,756,412
The largest opportunity for saving money and
carbon emissions is through the reduction of
electricity and natural gas use
Main Campus Utility Usage by Building
Others
6%
Biotechnology Center
12%
Heffner Alumni
1%
West Hall
1%
Academy Hall
1%
Amos
Linac
Eaton
1%
Building
Boiler House
2%
1%
Gymnasium '87
1%
Polymer
Ricketts
2%
Building
2%
Troy Building
2%
Russell
DCC
Sage Lab
3%
2%
Walker Lab + Chill
3%
JEC
10%
EMPAC
6%
Cogswell Lab
6%
Computer Ctr
5%
Science Ctr.
2%
CII
15%
Folsom Library AS&RC
4%
3%
Watervliet
3%
MRC
6%
Research and Science Buildings Use Over
60% of Total Campus Utilities
Main Campus Electricity Cost
60,000,000
$6,000,000
50,000,000
$5,000,000
40,000,000
$4,000,000
30,000,000
$3,000,000
20,000,000
$2,000,000
10,000,000
$1,000,000
-
$0
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
KWH
98
99
00
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
Cost
Decrease through the 90’s due to conservation,
increase from 2000 on due to campus growth
Dollars
Kilowatt-Hours
Main Campus Substation
Electricity Cost & Usage Trends
Current/Future Initiatives - Utilities
•Renewable Energy
•Wind Turbine
•East Campus PV Array
•Install more PV?
•Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)
•EMPAC
•East Campus Athletic Village
•Retrofit Existing Buildings for Energy Efficiency?
•Energy Awareness
•The Rensselaer Guide to Campus Energy
Conservation
•Improve Campus Awareness?
•Campus Energy Audit and Energy Projects
•Phase I - $5M
•Invest Additional Capital?
Current Initiatives – Green Practices
•Single Stream Recycling (Comingling all recyclables into one container)
•Special Recycling
•Building renovations (separate out metals)
•Electronics, batteries, metal,
wood pallets, tires
•Yearly building clean outs
(old electronic and lab equipment)
•Green House (flowers, Terra Café
vegetables)
•Vehicle surplus sale
•Store /reuse old furniture
Current Initiatives – Green Practices (con)
•Clothing in the Union
•Green cleaning chemicals
•Compact fluorescent light bulbs
•Integrated Pest Management
program
•Book Program
•Greening Web site
www.rpi.edu/dept/ess/greening
•Mail Room -sustainability
initiatives on web site
•Dump and Run
•Face the Waste
Future Opportunities – Green Practices
•Biodiesel
•Composting (food waste)
•Consolidating all copiers on Campus
•Sustainability Web site
(www.rpi.edu/dept/ess/greening)
•Sustainability marketing material
•FYE grass roots sustainability program