Randolph College
Climate Action Plan
2012
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1. Introduction .................................................................................................................. 3
a. Brief Timeline of Environmental Milestones ......................................................... 3
b. The American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment ......... 5
c.
Goals........................................................................................................................ 8
d. Randolph College Campus ................................................................................. 8
2. Analysis Tool ................................................................................................................... 9
3. Fiscal Years 2004 - 2011 GHG Inventory Results ........................................................ 11
4. Strategies ........................................................................................................................ 12
a. Scope 1 Emissions .................................................................................................. 13
b. Scope 2 Emissions .................................................................................................. 15
c.
Scope 3 Emissions .................................................................................................. 16
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1. Introduction
Randolph College's impact on the natural environment must be taken into account when considering the overall sustainability of
the College. Every member of the College community influences the natural world through personal consumption of products and
creation of waste. The use and emission of byproducts from the consumption of goods has an impact on the quality of our
surrounding environment. The individual human impact is known as an ecological footprint, which represents the amount of land
necessary to support a person's lifestyle. Randolph College also has an ecological footprint that is affected by its energy use, water
consumption, land holdings, emissions from energy consumption (greenhouse gas emissions), and physical and chemical waste.
This footprint can be reduced through policy and infrastructure efforts by the College to become more sustainable, as well as
through land holdings that can serve as an offset to carbon emissions because vegetation naturally captures CO2 molecules out
of the atmosphere.
a. Brief Timeline of Environmental Milestones

In the early 1990's, Randolph College (at the time Randolph-Macon Woman’s College) President Linda Lorimer was among
the first college presidents in the United States to sign the Talloires Declaration sponsored by University Leaders for a
Sustainable Future. This Declaration committed the College to "create an institutional culture of sustainability" through its
curriculum, administration, and facilities management policies.
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
In 2000, the College established the Sustainability Council to bring together faculty, staff, and students to coordinate the
College's recycling effort and promote sustainability initiatives on campus. The Sustainability Council was originally called the
Environmental Issues Working Group in 2000, then called the Environmental council beginning in 2002, then renamed the
Sustainability Council in 2010. The council today works on every aspect of sustainability on campus and has seen a growth
in its membership since it started in 2000.

In 2002, a department of Environmental Studies was created, with a B.A. degree in Environmental Studies and a Minor
established in 2003, and a B.S. degree in Environmental Studies established in 2007.

In 2006, under President Virginia Worden, Randolph College became the first college in Virginia to sign the American
College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment, stating, in part:
"We, the undersigned presidents and chancellors of colleges and universities, are deeply concerned about the
unprecedented scale and speed of global warming and its potential for large-scale, adverse health, social, economic and
ecological effects. We recognize the scientific consensus that global warming is real and is largely being caused by
humans. We further recognize the need to reduce the global emission of greenhouse gases by 80% by mid-century at the
latest, in order to avert the worst impacts of global warming and to reestablish the more stable climatic conditions that have
made human progress over the last 10,000 years possible."
(The rest of the commitment can be read here)
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
In Fall 2007, the College was selected by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)
as one of only 90 colleges and universities nationwide to participate in a pilot program to develop a sustainability
assessment system for colleges and universities, called the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System, or STARS.

Randolph College students conducted a campus-wide greenhouse gas inventory and a team of students and professors
have drafted a Sustainability Proposal with the help of many staff members in the summer of 2008.

In 2008, 2010, and 2011, the College the College conducted and published annual Greenhouse Gas Inventories (GHGI)

In 2011, Randolph College hired its first Sustainability Coordinator, under the supervision of the Vice President of Academic
Affairs.
b. The American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC)
Under the ACUPCC definition, climate neutrality is defined as having no net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, to be achieved by
minimizing GHG emissions as much as possible, and using carbon offsets or other measures to mitigate the remaining emissions.
Randolph College is committed to achieve neutrality and its current President, John E. Klein, strongly supports the commitment and
its ramifications. The ACUPCC expects signatories to provide an accounting of emissions from the six greenhouse gases (GHG)
identified in the Kyoto Protocol. These GHGs include carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O),
hydrofluorocarbons (HFC’s), perfluorocarbons (PFC’s), and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6). As it is the case with most campuses, the
main focus remains on CO2 emissions generated within the organizational boundaries defined for the campus.
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Of the seven suggested “Tangible Actions” ACUPCC recommends higher education institutions adopt, Randolph College
committed to take action on six. These include:
Establish a policy that all new campus construction will be built to at least U.S. Green Building Council LEED Silver

standard or equivalent.
o
Current Status: Randolph College has not undertaken any new building construction since the 1970s, but any
renovation should comprise as many LEED equivalent features as possible (e.g.: low flow water faucets, motion
sensors, low wattage light fixtures, low VOCs paints and carpets).
Adopt an energy-efficient appliance purchasing policy requiring purchase of Energy Star certified products in all

area for which such ratings exist.
o
Current Status: While it is not mandatory for every department to purchase Energy Star rated appliances, it is
observed that a majority of them are indeed Energy Star rated, or feature energy saving components such as
“Power Save modes” on printing machines, LED screens, etc. Buildings & Grounds has had a policy of purchasing
only Energy Star appliances since 2006.
Encourage use of and provide access to public transportation for all faculty, staff, students and visitors at our

institution.
o
Current Status: Randolph College certainly encourages faculty, staff, and students to use public transportation,
but has not made a deal with the Lynchburg public transportation services in order to provide free transportation
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to its student, faculty, and staff body yet. Nevertheless, the college provides a free shuttle service on weekends to
allow students who do not own a car to access stores, restaurants, movie theatres, and other places of interest.
Also, the college set up a bike sharing program in 2009 that allows any student, faculty, or staff member to rent
out a bike for free.
Within one year of signing this document, the college should begin purchasing or producing at least 15% of our

institution's electricity consumption from renewable sources.
o
Current Status: Randolph College has yet to produce electricity from renewable sources, but a portion (6%) of the
electricity it buys comes from renewable resources. As it become increasingly profitable to invest in renewable
energy projects (because of an increasing price of electricity, states incentives, and technological progress), the
college will consider the installation of renewable energy generation on and/or off campus.
Establish a policy or a committee that supports climate and sustainability shareholder proposals at companies

where our institution's endowment is invested.
o
Current Status: Randolph College has had a Sustainability Council since 2000, and while the authority of the
council is limited, its membership is reaching to almost all departments and administrative offices on campus,
allowing for balanced and all-encompassing advising to encourage and support climate and sustainability
shareholder proposals at companies where Randolph College’s endowment is invested.
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Participate in the Waste Minimization component of the national RecycleMania competition and adopt three or

more associated measures to reduce waste
o
Current Status: Randolph College has participated and will continue to participate in RecycleMania on an annual
basis. Policy-wise, it has aimed to compost almost all of the non-cooked food waste from the dining hall; aimed at
recycling plastics, cans, and papers all across campus; aimed at recycling batteries, plastic bags, CFLs, CDs and
DVDs, and small electronics in a central location; and aimed to limit the amount of trash produced during
renovation projects.
c. Goals
Carbon neutrality, or a net zero carbon footprint, refers to balancing a measured amount of carbon emissions with an equal
amount of offset of sequestered carbon or purchased “carbon offsets” to make up the difference, getting to net zero carbon
emissions. Carbon neutrality is commonly used in the context of fossil fuel use associated with transportation, energy production
and industrial processes.
The best way to achieve a carbon neutral status is to first maximize efforts to enhance energy efficiency, thus avoiding the need to
purchase energy from non-renewable GHG emitting sources in the first place. With efficiency efforts in place, installing renewable
energy options that meet internal hurdles for cost and payback will be considered. Lastly, for emissions that can’t be eliminated
with enhanced efficiency or installation of renewable resources, carbon offsets should be considered. Offsets can include
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purchasing renewable energy generated by the local power provider, planting trees with additional benefits (such as edible
species), or by purchasing offset from vendors that fund ‘carbon projects’ leading to prevention of future GHG emissions.
Using a baseline year of 2008, Randolph College has set a goal of reducing GHG emissions by 50 percent by 2030 and becoming
climate neutral by 2050.
d. Randolph College Campus
Randolph College was founded (as Randolph-Macon Woman’s College) in 1891 in the City of Lynchburg Virginia. Its main campus
is comprised of about 100 acres, for the most part made out of rolling hills overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains, and another 50
acres consisting of the Riding Center and several nature preserves located in close vicinity to the main campus. The majority of
buildings on campus were built in early 1900s out of red bricks made in Virginia.
2. Analysis Tools
Randolph College used the Clean Air – Cool Planet (CA-CP) Campus Carbon Calculator to calculate the campus GHG emissions.
The calculator determines the College’s output of the six GHGs specified by the Kyoto Protocol: carbon dioxide (CO2); methane
(CH4); nitrous oxide (N2O); hydrofluorocarbons (HFC’s); perfluorocarbons (PFC’s); and, sulphur hexafluoride (SF6). CA-CP is the
preferred tool suggested by the ACUPCC for determining a campus-wide carbon footprint.
The CA-CP calculator has diverse functionality, including structure for the tasks and data requirements of conducting a
greenhouse gas emissions inventory, projecting future emissions, and evaluating the effects of potential GHG emission reduction
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projects. The CA-CP calculator uses standard methodologies established by the GHG Protocol Initiative. It is the “tool of record” in
use at over 1,200 campuses nationwide.
The CA-CP calculator categorizes the College’s responsibility for emissions and the control it has over these emission quantities into
three categories or scopes.
Scope 1 includes direct emissions from sources that are owned and/or controlled by the Institution. This includes combustion of
natural gas at the Institution’s power plant, fossil fuel combustion emissions from the Institution’s fleet vehicles, fugitive emissions
from refrigeration, and emissions from fertilizer usage on campus grounds. The Institution has complete control over, and is solely
responsible for, Scope 1 emissions.
Scope 2 includes indirect emissions from sources that are not controlled or operated by the Institution, but whose products deliver
on-campus energy (electricity, steam, and chilled water). The Institution’s need for this energy production contributes to emissions
through the energy conversion process such as the burning of coal to produce electricity. Although the producer is responsible for
generating the electricity and emitting GHGs, they did not use any of the energy produced. Randolph College purchases
electricity only, with steam and chilled water produced on campus (included in Scope 1 emissions).
Scope 3 includes other emissions related to Institution operations, but don’t come as a direct result of an Institution owned or
operated process such as emissions from commercial air travel paid for by the Institution or air travel for study abroad programs or
faculty, staff and student commuting. This scope also includes other processes or actions paid for by the Institution that result in
GHG emissions.
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3 Fiscal Years 2004 - 2011 GHG Inventory Results
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4 Strategies
The analysis of the greenhouse gas graph shown above gives us a better idea as of to which areas of the college should be
tackled first if we want to effectively reduce a majority of our greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, research done among peer
institutions has helped us identify and reproduce strategies that would not only greatly reduce our emissions, but also provide short
term payback that would justify further investment in greenhouse gas emission reduction strategies. The table below shows short
(<5 years), medium (15 years), and long (15 to 40 years) term strategies that the Randolph College can implement in 10 different
areas.
4.1 Scope 1 Emissions
Direct emissions from sources that are owned and/or controlled by the Institution
Targeted Area
On-Campus
Stationary Sources:
Heating/Cooling
Timeline: 2012-2016
 Behavior Change Programs
o Develop Residence Life
conservation educational
programs applicable to all
resource usage (heat,
water, electricity).
o Establish and promote
guidelines and tips for
having a “green” room and
reducing amount of
materials brought to
campus during the summer
prior to “freshman” year.
o Improve communication
and promotion efforts to
build awareness of
available energy
Timeline: 2017 – 2025
 Behavior Change Programs
o Yearly updating of
educational materials and
conservation programs to
refresh content
 Conservation & Efficiency
o Replacement of main boiler
with a series of small efficient
boilers in each building
o Replacement to more
thermally efficient windows
where needed
o Install energy efficient instant
water heaters in any
building with inefficient or
distant boiler
Timeline: 2026 – 2050
 Behavior Change Programs
o Continual evolution of
materials and
approaches to support
behavior changes for
increased awareness of
energy efficiency and
sustainability in life
choices.
 Conservation & Efficiency
o Add necessary
infrastructure for cogeneration system(s)
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conservation techniques,
tools, and products (e.g.
energy star efficient fans,
CFL or LED bulbs instead of
incandescent in office
lamps, etc.)
o Include energy
conservation information as
part of new personnel
orientation
o Sub-meter all high-use
buildings to track and
manage water usage
o Continue to evaluate
potential renewable energy
technologies for application
in existing facilities.
 Conservation & Efficiency
o Improve cooling efficiency
across campus buildings with
air conditioning; eliminate
unneeded air exchanges
o Examine space utilization for
potential use shifts to
increase efficiency of
heating/cooling buildings
o Review green/white roof
options
o Continue and expand
routine energy efficiency and
conservation measures, such
as weather stripping and
window caulking
o Continue printer/copier
upgrades and rollout of
shared multi-function devices
o Training and promotion of
electronic file document
storage for office
management and library
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archiving rather than print
copy storage
Direct
Transportation
Agriculture/Grounds
Fleet
Fleet
Fleet
 As fleet vehicles come up for
 As fleet vehicles come up for
 As fleet vehicles come up
replacement, purchase vehicles
replacement, purchase vehicles
for replacement, purchase
with reduced environmental
with reduced environmental
vehicles with reduced
impact that also meet
impact that also meet functional
environmental impact that
functional requirements
requirements
also meet functional
 Examine options for replacing
 Depending on status of plug-in
required
all gas-powered golf carts with
electric vehicles in fleet, install
electric and/or solar-powered
charging station(s) if required.
electric carts
 Examine opportunities to
 Complete transition away from
 Continue management of
replace synthetic fertilizers and
synthetic to natural/organic
all grounds in an
pesticides with morefertilizers and pesticides
ecologically sound and
sustainable alternatives (e.g.
carbon-neutral manner.
non-toxic, DfE-certified, etc.)
 Reduce need for mowing by
planting ground-cover
alternatives to grass such as
moss, ivy, pachysandra, or
periwinkle.
 Develop written policies to
ensure sustainability is one of
the key considerations for
landscape design and
maintenance of activelymanaged green spaces on
campus.
 Review current best sustainable
turf grass management
practices.
 Increase existing program with
the Organic Garden to
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compost food waste.
 Continue and expand the
Organic Garden weekly market
 Continue programs to
encourage portion control to
reduce dining hall waste.
4.2 Scope 2 Emissions
Purchased Electricity
Targeted Area
Conservation &
Efficiency
Timeline: 2012-2016
 Replace less-efficient lighting in all
buildings with more efficient
options
 Continue progress on electrical
sub-metering of all buildings
 Update campus energy audit
data and target facilities with
highest consumption per square
foot to identify root causes and
determine appropriate
conservation/mitigation actions
 Track renewable energy
generation technology and
conduct annual review of
applicability of technology for
installation/usage on campus
 Continue the current energyefficient appliance purchasing
policy requiring purchase of
Energy Star certified products in
all areas for which such ratings
exist
Timeline: 2017 – 2025
 Install renewable energy
generation options when
technologically and fiscally
possible
 When remodels/renovations
occur in academic or
administrative spaces and
student residence halls, improve
lighting and air-conditioning
efficiency with applicable new
technologies
Timeline: 2026 – 2050
 Install renewable energy
generation options when
technologically and fiscally
possible
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Green/LEED
Buildings
 Seek LEED certification or
equivalent for appropriate
campus buildings as funding
allows
 Any new building construction on
campus will be built to a minimum
of LEED Silver standards or
equivalent
 Accreditation under LEED or
equivalent certification will be
built into building construction
budgets
4.3 Scope 3 Emissions
Commuting, Air Travel, Solid Waste, Wastewater, Paper
Targeted Area
Commuting
Directly
financed travel
Timeline: 2011-2016
Timeline: 2017 – 2025
 Work with GLTC to setup free bus
 Work with local public authorities
ridership program
to incorporate bike lanes on
 Explore and implement
public roads leading to campus
alternative ridesharing option
when roads are resurfaced
such as zimride or zipcars
and/or reconstructed
 Improve Bike Share program and
 Continue to investigate and
traffic awareness of cyclists
develop alternative transportation
 Continue to strengthen pedestrian
options to campus
and cycling access to campus
 Establish a process to increase
accuracy in tracking travel
impact
 Investigate current options and
costs for carbon offsets to travel.
Timeline: 2026 – 2050
 Work with travel vendors to
provide bookings on more fuelefficient flights when possible
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Solid Waste
Wastewater
Paper
 Consider policy change to
include offsets as part of billed
travel costs
 Ensure technology options virtual
meetings, teleconferences, and
webcasts are current
 Organic
o Food pulper in dining hall
o Add composting system
around the dining hall for preand post-consumer food waste
 Recyclables
o Improve placement in annual
RecycleMania competition
 Install water-conserving
replacements or retrofits in
building remodels
 Replace current 0% recycled
content office paper with 30%
post-consumer recycled content
paper
 Provide training to build
awareness and increase
participation in electronic record
storage to reduce hard-copy
paper storage
 Recycling
o Determine feasibility of
committing to become a Zero
Waste campus
 For any newly-constructed
housing units, include grey-water
recycling system
 Monitor and determine
applicability of evolving waterefficient and conservation
technologies to campus
environment
 Replace 30% post-consumer
recycled content office paper
with 100% post-consumer
recycled content paper or similar
sustainable option
 Establish goals and timeline to
move to paperless administrative
office operations
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5. Conclusion
The climate action plan is not meant to be a binding document. Instead, it is a
document created for guidance and reference. The CAP is meant to be modified over
time as technology, financial assets, and the U.S. economy and political reality of the
country change. The CAP was reviewed and accepted by the Dean of the College
and the President. By accepting it, the college affirms its goal of reducing its impact on
the global climate and to serve as an example for its community of students, staff, and
faculty members, as well as for the surrounding Lynchburg community.
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