Woodrow Wilson School Policy Task Force:
Development of Policy Initiatives for
the Sustainable Use of Energy
at Princeton University
Presentation to the Princeton administration
May 9, 2007
Organizing Principle
for a Sustainable Princeton
Miriam Chaum
Introduction
• Princeton is one of the world’s finest universities
• The University has shown an enduring commitment to climate
change research, technology, and policy development
– Carbon Mitigation Initiative
– Cooperative Institute for Climate Science
– Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy (STEP)
• Universities across the U.S. are making ambitious efforts to
reduce their own emissions
• Princeton has the potential to become a leader among these
colleges and universities
• The recommendations of this Task Force are possible first steps
in fostering a more sustainable Princeton
Part 1: University Presidents
Climate Commitment
Comprehensive Plan
2 years
1 year
Emissions Inventory
2 months
Present
Institutionalization
• Princeton’s Goal
– Carbon neutrality achieved immediately using offsets
• Characteristics
–
–
–
–
Eliminates carbon footprint
Establishes Princeton as a leader
Provides forum for collaboration with other institutions
Opportunity to effect national policy change
Part 2: Corzine’s Executive
Order No. 54
• Princeton’s Goals
– Reduce on-campus emissions to 1990 levels by 2020
– Reduce on-campus emissions to 80% below 2006
levels by 2050
• Characteristics
– Annual offset purchase will function as a self-imposed
carbon tax and encourage on-campus reductions
– Long-term with some lead time
– Good start in findings of ENV-ST01
– Will require creativity and encourage participation of
campus community
Two-Part Organizing Principle
• President Tilghman signs the Presidents
Climate Commitment as soon as possible
and commits Princeton to carbon neutrality
immediately through offset purchases.
• Simultaneously, Princeton commits to
Governor Corzine’s Executive Order No. 54
through on-campus emissions reductions.
Findings from ENV ST01
Ben Steiner
Princeton University
Carbon Dioxide Emissions
• 2006 emissions =
~125,000 mt of CO2
• BAU 2020 emissions =
~190,000 mt of CO2
• 42% CO2 emissions
reduction necessary to
meet Executive Order
No. 54
Total
CO2 Emissions (1000 mt/yr)
• 1990 emissions =
~110,000 mt of CO2
Power
Steam
CHW
200
150
100
50
0
1990
2000
1990 CO 2 emissions: 110,000 mt
2010
Year
2020
2030
2006 CO 2 emissions: 125,000 mt
Achieve Carbon-Neutrality
Immediately
200
2.0
Cost ($/mt CO2)
Cost ($/mt CO2)
50
1.0
Video
CO2
Video
0
Offsets
CO2
0.0
GeoH
Hoods
CFLs
Pool
-50
-0.5
Lights
-1.0
Offsets
-150Showe
-1.5
1.5
1.0
0.5
Faucet
0.0
-2.0
-200
GeoH
Hoods
CFLs
Pool
-50
0.5
50
-100
0
-100
1.5
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Reduced Emissions (1000 mt CO2/yr)
-0.5
Lights
-1.0
-150Showe
-1.5
-200
-2.0
Cum. Annual Cost (M$/yr)
100
2.0
150
Cum. Annual Cost (M$/yr)
150
200
Faucet
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Reduced Emissions (1000 mt CO2/yr)
• 77% is off-campus offsets. Costs $350,000/yr. No Sexy-Tech
Achieve Executive Order No.
54 by 2020 On-Campus
Traps
PV
2.0
150
W-3
1.5
100
GeoJ
CNG
GeoA
1.0
50
Video
GeoH
New
Hoods
CFLs
Pool
0
-50
-100
CO2
Laptop
HX
Hybrid
Offsets
0.5
0.0
-0.5
Lights
-1.0
-150Showe
-1.5
-200
-2.0
Cum. Annual Cost (M$/yr)
Cost ($/mt CO2)
200
Faucet
0
20
40
60
80
Reduced Emissions (1000 mt CO2/yr)
• Known on-campus projects can cut 2020 emissions by 26% at
cost of $690,000/yr
• Insufficient for Executive Order No. 54
Achieve Executive Order No.
54 by 2050 On-Campus
• Meeting the 2050 goal
requires a greater
annual % change than
the 2020 goal
CHW
Steam
Power
Total
CO2 Emissions (1000 mt/yr)
• Meeting the 2050 goal
of 80% emissions
reductions from present
levels on-campus would
require dramatic
changes in energy use
on campus
200
150
~1%/yr decline in CO2 emissions
100
~3.5%/yr decline in CO2 emissions
50
0
1990
2000
1990 CO 2 emissions: 110,000 mt
2010
2020
Year
2030
2040
2050
2006 CO 2 emissions: 125,000 mt
The Ethics of Passing the Buck:
The Role of Renewable Energy Certificates and
Carbon Offsets
Molly Rapoport
The Ethics of Off-site Purchasing
• Global warming is a global problem
• Universities are academic and research leaders
– Special obligation to go beyond off-site purchasing
– Experiment with on-site renewables and set an example
• Fulfilling the President’s Climate Commitment
– Off-site purchasing may allow us to reach carbon neutrality
immediately
– Jump start sustainability program
– But must assure additionality of purchases
• Additionality
– The difference between the amount of energy produced with the
REC or offset and the amount of energy that would have been
produced had the REC or offset not been purchased.
• The difference between RECs and offsets: neither are a long
term solution, but they can be a good start
Renewable Energy
Certificates/Credits
• What is a REC?
– Represents the environmental benefits of 1 MWh of
electricity from a renewable energy source added to a
certain power grid
– Often from wind farms or solar arrays
– $0.50 to $10 per MWh
• Challenges
–
–
–
–
No guarantee of additionality
price instability
lack of regulation
No local benefits
• Ethically questionable choice for Princeton
– Except as part of multi-university initiative
Offsets
• What is an offset?
– A credit financing a part of a project to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions below business as usual trajectory
– Possesses additionality by definition
– $5 to $25 per ton of CO2
• Clear Criteria: additionality, ability to quantify benefits,
permanence, meticulous monitoring, verification, registration,
and clear known ownership
• Challenges of illegitimate offsets
–
–
–
–
Lack of regulation and transparency
Unreliability of carbon sink and “leakage problem”
No local benefits
Purchases are time sensitive
• Informed and interested consumers can easily overcome these
challenges and find and purchase legitimate and dependable
offsets
Recommendations
•
Princeton jump start its sustainability program by purchasing
offset projects and go carbon neutral right now - fulfill
President’s Climate Commitment
•
Princeton can ensure the legitimacy of offsets and ascertain
additionality making offsets an ethical choice in the short run
•
Once the sustainability program is on its feet, move towards
on-campus initiatives as Yale has done
–
–
–
Offsets are not a long term solution
Princeton can extend its academic and research leadership into
the realm of environmental sustainability
Undertake some projects that many other universities may not be
able to afford and set an example among the academic
community: Princeton’s special responsibility as the wealthiest
university in the US per student
Developing Princeton’s
Office of Sustainability
James Kuczmarski
President
Executive VP
VP of
Admin.
Facilities
Provost
Admin.
Director of
Engineering
Vice Provost
Admin.
Assistant
Interns
Sustainability
Manager
Climate
Coord.
Transport.
Coord.
Revised Structure
Assoc. Sus.
Manager
Sus. Design
Coord
Elements of Campus
Sustainability Efforts
1
2
4
Funding
5
3
6
Applying the Elements to
Princeton
• Element One: Commitment from Top Management
“Princeton should grow in a manner which is
sensitive to geography, sensitive to energy and
resource consumption and works to sustain strong
community relations”
- Shirley Tilghman
– University should sign the President’s Climate Commitment
– Specify any desire for research and curricula focusing on
local and regional sustainability issues
Applying the Elements to
Princeton (2)
• Element Two: Chain of Administrative Command
ljlkj
Interns
President
President
Executive VP
Executive VP
VP of
Admin.
Facilities
VP of
Admin.
Facilities
Provost
Admin.
Director of
Engineering
Director of
Engineering
Vice Provost
Sustainability
Manager
Assoc. Sus.
Manager
Admin.
Assistant
Interns
Sustainability
Manager
Climate
Coord.
Transport.
Coord.
Revised Structure
Current Structure
Key
Top Management
Office of Sustainability
Facilities
Students
Academics
Assoc. Sus.
Manager
Sus. Design
Coord
Applying the Elements to
Princeton (3)
• Element Three: Metrics for Success
– Establish metrics to assess the extent of sustainability
education and research
•
Element Four: Budgets and Funding
– Expand budget
– Create an endowment
– Launch a revolving loan fund
Applying the Elements to
Princeton (4)
• Element Five: Publicity Efforts
–
–
–
–
Establish new channels of communication
Monthly newsletter
Send university-wide emails with sustainability updates
Publish columns in university publications
• Element Six: Active Engagement of Students and Faculty
– Continue student outreach
– Enhance the sustainability curriculum (eg. summer workshop)
– Offer compensation for incorporating sustainability into class
syllabi
– Encourage sustainability professionals to offer classes
– Create a joint-appointment faculty member
Green from the Bottom Up:
University Endorsement of Student Grassroots Initiatives
to Reduce Campus Energy Use
Jonah Wagner
Why Student Groups?
• Empirically, student grassroots sustainability
initiatives are:
– Low-cost
– Widespread and well-integrated in the student body
– Result-oriented
• They have been somewhat effective at Princeton,
but they have been highly effective at other
universities.
Princeton’s Goals in Engaging
Student Activism
• Increase the publicity and visibility of campus
environmental issues.
• Foster a self-sustaining ‘green’ culture on
campus.
• Become a leader in the Ivy League in student
energy conservation and GHG emissions
reduction.
Recommendations
• Increase funding for the Office of Sustainability
– Broaden scope to provide direct, unsolicited assistance to
student sustainability groups and initiatives
– Create incentives for energy conscious lifestyle changes
among the student population
• Install energy monitors with real-time data feeds in
student dormitories
– Establish a baseline of student energy usage from which to
gauge the impacts of University energy conservation
initiatives
– Increase collective student body energy awareness
Recommendations (2)
• Create options for sustainable living on campus
– Rezone and retrofit old dormitories with energy efficient
appliances and living products.
– And/or Construct sustainable student housing
• Construct a carbon neutral environmental campus
center
– Model for sustainable development on campus
– Hub for campus environmental activity and discourse
Green Buildings and
Infrastructure Growth
Aaron Buchman
Growing Campus:
Cause for Change
Princeton’s energy use is growing
Options:
1) Augment our local generating capacity
2) Purchase more electricity from grid
3) Reduce demand by improving energy
efficiency in new and renovated buildings
• Why choose to reduce demand?
–
–
–
–
Reduces Princeton’s carbon footprint
Reduces operating costs
Avoid infrastructure expansion
Increases options for supplying energy
Other Benefits of Green Buildings
• Healthier buildings: fewer sick days
• Some efficient features are also perks for occupants:
more windows, better temperature control
• Public recognition
• Attract top students and faculty, who are increasingly
environmentally-conscious
• Recruit environmentally-conscious donors, alumni
Recommendations
• Bring sustainability into the pre-project stage
• Set Ambitious but Achievable Sustainability Goals
– Imagine a building optimized for efficiency in energy and cost:
Demand that level of efficiency
– Allow architects aesthetic flexibility – let them choose how to
reach that goal
• Alter the Lifecycle Cost Comparison Study process
– Devote comparison efforts where they count most
– Expect higher future energy costs
• Reconsider LEED certification
– New campus-specific standards suit the Princeton context
Campus Transportation
Connor Cobean
Aspects of Transportation
•Employee Commuting
•Transportation Demand
Management
•Faculty Air Travel
Employee Commuting
• Become named a “Best Workplace for Commuters”
by the EPA and Department of Transportation
–
–
–
–
–
Carpool/vanpool program
Incentive programs (eg. preferential parking)
Subsidize public transit
Create a campus coordinator of commuting
Publicly commit to 15% reduction in number of
employees to drive to work alone within 18 months
– * Start charging for parking *
Transportation Demand
Management
• Create an Transportation Demand Management
program within the Office of Sustainability
• Give this program the power to affect campus
planning
• Commit to alternative transportation rather than
increasing parking supply
• Fund program with parking fees
• The Cornell model
Air Travel
• Construct at least one high-end videoconferencing center (but at a nominal
cost to users)
• Offer incentives for professors
• Require professors to record travel
through the Travel Portal
Benefits of Transportation
Emission Reductions
• Direct CO2 reductions – meeting
emissions goals
• Foster a “green” campus culture
• Commit to addressing Princeton’s full,
and most accurate, ecological footprint
Key Recommendations
• Overarching Recommendation
– Sign Presidents Climate Commitment and achieve carbon
neutrality immediately through offset purchases
– Meet Governor Corzine’s Executive Order No. 54 through
on-campus emissions reductions
• ENV ST01 Results
– Immediate carbon neutrality could be achieved through
offset purchases costing $350,000/yr. 77% of emissions
reductions would be off campus
– Known on-campus projects can cut 2020 emissions by 26%
at cost of $690,000/yr
• Princeton should jump start its sustainability program
by purchasing offset projects rather than RECs to go
carbon neutral right now.
Key Recommendations (2)
• The Office of Sustainability should be used to
institutionalize the commitment to sustainability
• Endorse and encourage student grassroots emission
reduction efforts
• Emphasize green buildings through an improved
design process
• Develop a Transportation Demand Management
program within the Office of Sustainability