Introduction
Colleges and Universities nationwide are stepping up to address concerns about global
climate change, results of excessive fossil fuel use and other negative impacts from
human activity on our planet. Higher education plays a unique and critical role in making
a sustainable society and a stable climate a reality.
By signing the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment,
NIACC has pledged to eliminate our net greenhouse gas emissions in a reasonable
period of time and in a manner that maximizes the opportunities of our College.
In order to accomplish this commitment, the Sustainability Council has been established
to provide ongoing coordination and direction on implementation and prioritization of
sustainability performance measures.
The ultimate goal of the Sustainability Council is to achieve systematic institutional
commitment to a sustainable campus, including carbon neutrality, throughout all
constituencies of the college (faculty, staff, students, and administration).
The council reports and recommends policy changes to the College Senate Committee
that then reports the recommendations to the President.
The council will be responsible for an overall Climate Action Plan that consists of a
collection of policies, programs, and practices that will reduce greenhouse gas
emissions. The CAP will include development, coordination, analysis, goal setting, and
preparation along with supervision of any sub-committees for the following key topics:

Greenhouse Gas Inventory (creating, interpreting and periodically updating
campus GHG inventory).

Energy (developing energy conservation measures, on-site renewables,
green power purchasing, new construction/green design, CFC’s, carbon
offsets, and GHG emissions reduction strategies).

Transportation (addressing GHG emissions associated with fleet vehicles,
commuting and air travel).

Solid Waste, Purchasing and Food (reduce waste, recycle and compost).

Curriculum and Research (Introduce climate change and sustainability into
the curriculum and enhance research to address climate change).

Communications (keeping the campus community up-to-date on our climate
action efforts and to develop plans to involve the community actions that
reduce GHG emissions.
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The Sustainability Council is comprised of dynamic members who are empowered with
the permission to implement the ACUPCC commitment and represent all constituencies
of the college (faculty, staff, students, and administration).
Climate Action Plan Details
North Iowa Area Community College – Climate Action Plan
Adopted: February 14th, 2012
Emissions Targets
Emissions Inventory: Baseline Year 2007, 5,486 MTCO2e
Climate Neutrality Target: NIACC will strive to reduce carbon emissions by 2% annually
Narratives
Greenhouse gas mitigation strategies:
North Iowa Area Community College is committed to purchasing and using energy in
the most efficient, cost effective, and environmentally responsible manner possible.
Conservation strategies, provides direct support to all college operations and
compliments the academic programs and community events at the North Iowa Area
Community College.
As a rural Community College we have a large commuter based pool of students driving
from a nine county area. Calculating commuter mileage has proven to be a difficult task,
so we have concentrated our efforts on energy conservation as our core greenhouse
gas mitigation strategy.
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Our commitment to energy conservation and environmental stewardship began in 1983
with the installation of a campus wide micro-processor based energy management
system. In 1984 the Facilities department established an energy conservation program
that has captured large financial savings and benefits over the past 25 years. Revisions
to our original Energy Conservation Plan now provides a dynamic framework
designed for the development and implementation of our institution’s Climate Action
Plan and reduction of our greenhouse gas emissions.
Energy conservation projects on our campus have included; new technology lighting
upgrades, high efficient chiller applications, geo-thermal applications, motor variable
speed drives, water reduction programs, steam trap programs, boiler efficiency
programs, waste reduction and recycling programs, building envelope inspection
programs, and risk management programs.
Energy conservation efforts are visible in our new building design as well, as we utilize
the Department of Energy building simulation program analysis for new building
construction. A DOE-2.1E Code Base model is created to provide a bench mark against
which to compare energy performance for each strategy or bundles of strategies. An
example of this design application, is with the construction of our Recreation Center
building (2008), designed to meet the silver level rating based upon the U.S. Green
Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating
design.
Plans to make sustainability a part of the curriculum for all students:
In an effort to expose students to programs that promote climate neutrality and
sustainability, NIACC will seek opportunities for faculty development workshops,
enhance our existing environmental and sustainable programs, and identify new ways
to engage our students.
Plans to expand community outreach efforts towards the achievement of climate
neutrality:
We recognize the opportunity we have to strengthen our relationship within our
community, by developing and providing service learning projects for the community, to
address sustainability concerns.
A community based “Earth Week” event scheduled for this spring will provide an
opportunity to collaborate and share projects and information. Additional community
learning projects will be targeted through our Continuing Education programs.
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Last fall, the North Iowa Energy Sector Team was awarded an American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act (ARRA) High Growth and Emerging Industries Grant from the State
Energy Sector Partnership to fund different “green” initiatives.
The North Iowa Energy Sector Team, led by North Iowa Area Community College
(NIACC), has partnered with Clean Edison to launch a green job-training program for
individuals in the North Iowa area. The training courses are designed to stimulate the
regional economy and upgrade workers’ job skills to meet the needs of the flourishing
green economy.
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