University of Wisconsin—Eau Claire
Beyond Business as Usual: Climate Action Planning 2010-11
As educators our purview is not simply our own campus but also the future for which we are preparing young men
and women. Faculty and staff work on behalf of a future in which our students' knowledge and leadership skills,
enhanced by their ability to think beyond the narrow confines of individual disciplines, will allow them to do the
necessary work to shift culture beyond "business as usual" (i.e., a scenario in which current emissions trends continue
without being checked—see Kolbert chapter 7). Or, even better, they will, as one of our student team members said,
"take the necessary steps to see that 'Business as Usual' includes environmentally conscious methods and initiatives."
INTRODUCTION
The Campus and its Setting
The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (UW-Eau Claire) is a public, state-funded
institution in west central Wisconsin. Recognized by U.S. News and World Reports and The
Princeton Review as one of the Midwest’s top public universities, UW-Eau Claire prides itself
on its small class sizes, hands-on research experiences for undergraduates, and expansive
study abroad program. The university also prides itself on its campus. Consisting of 28
buildings on 333 acres, it is literally shaped by its location on the Chippewa River; many
buildings nestle among trees in the river valley, others sit high on the ridgeline that edges
lower campus, and a few sit across the river itself, reached by the span of a pedestrian
bridge. A pair of bald eagles nest in the natural area and wetland that hug the base of the
ridgeline; they are a frequent sight throughout the year as the seasons change. Perhaps it is
no surprise that in this setting many in the campus community are motivated and inspired to
work on behalf of a sustainable future. Here, approximately 765 faculty and instructional
academic staff work with nearly 11,000 students, nurturing both scholastic and personal
development. The university’s four core principles—leadership, innovation, sustainability,
and diversity—are emphasized through an interdisciplinary, liberal arts education. UW-Eau
Claire strives to be a leader in sustainable development and seeks to reach climate neutrality
through policy decisions, cultural change and resource preservation.
The Campus, Environmental Awareness and the Climate Commitment
While the Presidents’ Climate Commitment has been an effective tool for focusing
sustainability initiatives, UW-Eau Claire students, faculty, and staff had already been active
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for years working to make the campus community more environmentally conscious. In 2001,
several A&S faculty members formed the Confluence Center for Chippewa River Studies to
facilitate interdisciplinary examinations and appreciations of the Chippewa River Valley
Region. A companion group, the recently formed Watershed Institute for Collaborative
Environmental Studies, works to create interdisciplinary course offerings that emphasize
ecological thinking as a liberal art. Faculty and staff members formed the Clean Commute
Initiative, which seeks to promote environmentally conscious and healthy forms of
commuting to and from campus. Student organizations, such as the Conservationists, the
Foodlums, and the Student National Environmental Health Association, help increase
awareness of environmental sustainability both on- and off-campus.
In August 2007, Chancellor Brian Levin-Stankevich signed the American College &
University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), making UW-Eau Claire one of the first
public universities in the Midwest to commit to work toward climate neutrality. The ACUPCC
addresses global climate change by requiring each signatory to complete a biennial
inventory of their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and to develop a long-term plan for
reducing GHG emissions and achieving climate neutrality. In the fall of 2007 Chancellor LevinStankevich proposed that the first GHG inventory be researched and compiled by students in
a class setting. In the spring of 2008, students in an interdisciplinary, independent research
course gathered data and compiled the first campus greenhouse gas emissions inventory;
these students made several recommendations. Just before the start of fall semester in
2008, the Chancellor appointed the first Sustainability Fellow to coordinate already existing
initiatives, to nurture and support new ones, to oversee fulfillment of ACUPCC requirements,
and to work with the campus community as the initial emissions inventory was made public.
Bringing this information to the campus and determining its implications for our
actions required conversations among groups on campus who in the normal course of
things would rarely, if ever, engage in coordinated work—for example, staff from Facilities
Management and faculty members. But this kind of coordination is critical to effect change
on the scale necessary to reach climate neutrality. This coordination of efforts would
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require, in other words, a change in campus culture. It would require a re-thinking of the
word “colleague,” and in some cases overcoming entrenched resistance. Thus the primary
work beginning with the 2008-09 academic year lay in identifying stakeholders, learning
about the past relationships (including any complications) between these stakeholders,
finding ways to bring them together, to reach an understanding of our shared
responsibilities, and to facilitate discussions about the work ahead. These relationships are
crucial for authentic engagement on behalf of sustainability initiatives at UW-Eau Claire, and
especially in the case of the Climate Action Plan. By the end of fall semester 2009, as we
looked toward the second emissions inventory, we had made excellent progress: faculty
from English, chemistry and physics as well as an associate director from Facilities
Management shared responsibility for working with the students who would complete that
inventory.
In spring semester 2010 eighteen students from several disciplines and two colleges
enrolled in the second iteration of the course (this time offered by the Honors Program)
“Tracking the University’s Carbon Footprint.” These students developed an understanding
of the emissions inventory’s significance by learning about the effects of GHGs on global
climate change. Selected readings, lectures, and in particular the shared experience of
reading, discussing, and reflecting on Elizabeth Kolbert’s Field Notes from a Catastrophe:
Man, Nature, and Climate Change provided a rich context for their work; a class blog afforded
opportunity for more informal exchanges, or for posting links to pertinent news items.
After collecting the raw data for the inventory, students used the Clean-Air Cool-Planet
Campus Carbon Calculator (CACPCCC) to convert emissions from various GHGs—such as
carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, fluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride—into metric
tons (MTs) of equivalent carbon dioxide (eCO2). These emissions, totaled, represent the
institution’s “carbon footprint.” As requested by the Presidents’ Climate Commitment, they
reported specific types of emissions in five sections: Chemicals and Refrigerants, Solid
Waste, Transportation, Electricity, and Heating. Students added a section explaining
emission offsets, in particular to clarify a correction they made to the calculations from the
2008 report and—mindful that they were one group contributing to an on-going process—
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to provide guidance for future reports. Finally, drawing on their enhanced understanding of
the mechanisms of global climate change, students reviewed the completed inventory and
the 2008 student recommendations. After discussion, students targeted key reduction areas
and offered recommendations (some building on the 2008 recommendations, several new
ideas) to decrease the university’s carbon footprint. With these recommendations in hand,
the university had some well-defined and documented points to contribute to the campus
CAP.
A WORK IN PROGRESS: CLIMATE ACTION PLAN
The Campus Community and the Foundation for the Climate Action Plan
When the first emissions inventory was completed in 2008, it was officially released
to the public in late October at a single event. While we had hoped for media as well as
substantial attendance from the campus and the community, in fact the event was sparsely
attended. We decided to take a different approach with the second inventory, emphasizing
the campus as the intended audience for and key responder to the report. The student
sustainability interns who created the specialized presentations for each work group have
also created a presentation to be made to three leadership areas on campus in spring
semester 2011: the Chancellor’s Cabinet, which includes those who will serve on the advisory
council to the Sustainability Network; the Student Senate, which oversees a $10 per student
per semester “green fee” used to fund projects to make campus operations more
environmentally responsible; and the University Senate, which comprises faculty and staff,
who are responsible for communicating Senate business to their home departments and
offices . These presentations will be brief (10-minute) slideshows that give a quick overview
of the inventory and its findings, emphasizing the student recommendations for reducing
the emissions. In each of these groups there are formal avenues for follow-up of the
presentation; a primary goal is to get them used to the idea that these reports will be
coming out every other year, and that they are witnessing and participating in an on-going
project of great importance to the future. We will be vigilant for other opportunities to
present the work—e.g., to chairs councils, to student groups, to individual departments or
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offices, to alumni groups, as well as in off-campus venues. We will showcase the 2010
emissions inventory throughout the April 2011 “Earth Month” events in both live
presentations and display case settings in campus buildings. Of course the report will be
emphasized on campus website and through social networking resources.
Wherever the presentations are made, the Climate Action Plan will be identified as the
medium through which the campus will respond to the emissions inventories and advance
toward the goal of climate neutrality. We view the emissions inventory as providing the
essential structure for the first iteration of the CAP; the recommendations, in particular,
suggest steps toward climate neutrality for the campus. The release of the 2010 report and
the visible presence of projects funded by the student “green fund” afford a perfect
opportunity for the campus to begin an on-going dialogue on the choices that lie ahead and
the values that will guide those choices. The construction of the new student center—in
which decisions based on sustainability and environmental awareness played a significant
part—will be a visible reminder of the real consequences of these on-going discussions. The
selection of the next Sustainability Fellow, probably in March of 2011, will focus campus
attention once more on the ACUPCC. And Aprils’ Earth Month events afford opportunities
for round-table discussions in many campus venues.
The Campus Process
Spring semester 2011 marks the formal recognition of the Campus Sustainability
Network, embodied in small working groups (6-8 faculty, staff and student members per
group) focusing on specific areas essential to moving the campus toward climate neutrality,
e.g., transportation, heating, energy use. The Sustainability Fellow and a small council of
administrators—heads of particular areas of campus—support these groups, bringing them
together with key stakeholders and in some cases providing limited funds, office support,
student interns or other resources to aid the work group. Letters of appointment from the
Chancellor will formally recognize membership in the groups—lending the weight of his
office to these appointments.
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Kick-off meetings will be scheduled for the first two weeks of the spring semester.
At these meetings, the Sustainability Fellow will speak briefly about the Campus
Sustainability Network’s mission, and will charge the work group not only with identifying
and generating projects to reduce contributions to greenhouse gas emissions but also with
serving as the key contact and source of information to the campus about their area.
Student sustainability interns—four students from the 2010 GHGEI group—have developed
separate, specialized PowerPoint presentations for each small working group. One of the
student interns will present the slideshow to introduce the area’s contribution to the
campus carbon footprint and the recommendations for mitigating those emissions. The
“Recommendations for Achieving Climate Neutrality” included as part of the 2010
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory provide plenty of ideas for the Campus Sustainability
Network work groups. The students first reviewed the 2008 recommendations, and then
took into account progress made since that report; they also considered our uncertain
economy and our place within an under-funded state university system. Beyond this, they
gave due consideration to the weighty responsibility of the Presidents’ Climate Commitment
and to their understanding of climate change as the defining issue of the 21st century. They
presented the recommendations as two-year, five-year, or ten-year goals, addressing not
only operations, but also curricular/co-curricular concerns as well as institutional policy. In
short, they have provided many points of entry into the process for the work groups.
After seeing the presentation and reviewing the 2010 Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Inventory & Recommendations for Achieving Climate Neutrality, each group’s job is to
determine how to respond to the recommendations pertinent to their area, including
identifying short and long-term projects that will advance the university toward the
specified goal. Projects may have very tangible goals and they may also be more abstract,
such as working to change or articulate policy. The larger context is always the
advancement toward a sustainable campus culture and infrastructure—towards climate
neutrality. Once projects are identified and clearly defined—including the specific goal of the
project, the kind of help needed, and the estimated duration of the project—the work
groups will submit them to the Sustainability Fellow, who will quickly review them,
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requesting in-put from the administrative council. Over the course of spring semester and
summer 2011, the combined efforts of the Campus Sustainability Network will lead to the
next iteration of the Climate Action Plan.
Once approved, projects will be returned to the work group, who will then put out a
campus-wide call for volunteers. Any interested member of the campus community (or of
the larger Eau Claire community) may sign up to work on a specific project; when the project
is completed, the volunteers’ commitment is fulfilled—until and if they decide to sign up for
another project. This structure affords opportunity for faculty, staff and students to
contribute time doing the kind of work they feel most suited to for the amount of time they
have available to spend. It also greatly increases the number of individuals on campus with
direct connection to the work toward climate neutrality. The administrative support group,
the work groups, and everyone who devotes time to any of the year’s projects comprise the
Campus Sustainability Network. Their work will be publicized throughout the year and
presented in greater detail during Earth Month each April
CAMPUS EMISSIONS: OUR STARTING POINT
In 2008, UW-Eau Claire was reported to emit 39,964 metric tons (MT) of equivalent
carbon dioxide (eCO2). Since then, several improvements have been made to reduce the
university’s carbon footprint. One of the university’s main focuses has been reducing the
amount of electricity consumed on campus by replacing lights, installing computer energy
saving computer software, and by installing electric meters on each campus building. UWEau Claire has further reduced emissions by implementing a composting program and
eliminating cafeteria trays, saving thousands of gallons of water and reducing food waste.
Additionally, the university has purchased more efficient modes of transportation including
a Toyota Prius and fifteen rental bicycles. In 2010, the inventory analysis showed that UWEau Claire emitted 38,870 MT of eCO2: a reduction of 2.7%. The following chart provides a
comparison of the 2008 and 2010 carbon emissions.
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UW-Eau Claire Carbon Emissions Comparison
45,000
40,000
35,000
30,000
25,000
20,000
15,000
10,000
5,000
0
2010 Report
The next figure illustrates campus GHG emissions categories and the contribution of each
category to the total. As the pie chart illustrates, campus use of electricity and the university
heating plant provide the heaviest contributions to the campus carbon footprint. A strong
commitment in our Facilities Management office to increasing efficient electrical use, and to
educating the campus about inefficiencies or hidden waste in our electrical use, is having
good results; those efforts will be continued. The heating plant is less easily addressed.
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One Key Interim Milestone
Because the combustion of coal to generate steam heat accounts for the highest
single greenhouse gas emission contributor of the UW-Eau Claire campus (~24% of the total
carbon footprint), reduction and eventual elimination of this source this is a critical
milestone to achieve climate neutrality. (Purchased electricity accounts for ~33% of our total
GHG emissions, but is generated from several different fuels, including coal, natural gas,
nuclear and some renewable sources, which the university cannot control. Further, these
emissions are attributable to several sectors of campus, including lighting, cooling,
appliances, computing, etc. Thus there is no single approach to reductions of this emission
source.) Because the steam plant currently burns coal, natural gas, and fuel oil, one solution
to reducing carbon dioxide emissions would be to switch fuels to one with a lesser GHG
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intensity (fewer kg CO2 generated per MMBTU). If we were to burn natural gas instead of
coal (without reducing demand for steam heat – i.e., maintaining the MMBTU consumed as
a constant), the overall carbon footprint would be reduced by only 10% (based on EIA
estimates). However, the steam plant is currently unable to fulfill the current demand by
burning only natural gas, so the overall campus heat energy consumption MUST decrease to
achieve fuel switching. Thus we have estimated a 15% reduction instead.
Further reductions in steam heat requirements, enabling the heating plant to switch
from natural gas to a renewable energy source (such a wood-based biofuel – the steam
plant is already designed to accept such fuels) would enable further reduction in carbon
dioxide emissions to due steam heat production. Thus, this 15% interim milestone is
somewhat conservative. Without specifying the nature of the replacement fuel, UW-Eau
Claire Facilities administrators have estimated that we can eliminate the combustion of coal
on campus by 2030 or perhaps earlier, with targeted state support.
THE UNIVERSITY IN CONTEXT
UW-Eau Claire’s Coal-Fired Heating Plant and State Leadership
Under former Governor Jim Doyle, the possibility of such state support seemed
realistic. At the time the university was completing its first emissions inventory through the
first years of coordinating campus sustainability initiatives, we were aware of being part of a
state-wide movement toward a more responsible existence. Governor Doyle made it clear
that global climate change was something he believed states could and should take
responsibility for. In the fall of 2006, he selected four of our sister campuses to take part in
a pilot program to become energy independent of fossil fuels by 2012. Upon completion, the
schools would be the first state-owned facilities capable of acquiring or producing
renewable energy equivalent to their consumption. The following spring, Gov. Doyle
created a state Global Warming Task Force, and directed them to “present viable, actionable
policy recommendations to the Governor to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in
Wisconsin and make Wisconsin a leader in implementation of global warming solutions.” In
effect, he directed them to lay the groundwork for a state climate action plan, asking them
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to “Identify specific short- and long-term goals for reductions in GHG emissions in Wisconsin
that are, at a minimum, consistent with Wisconsin’s proportionate share of reductions that
are needed to occur worldwide to minimize the impacts of global warming.”
In July of 2008, the Governor’s Task Force on Global Warming released its final report
“Wisconsin’s Strategy for Reducing Global Warming.” They recommended short-term and
long-term goals for reductions of GHG emissions that would allow Wisconsin to reach the
“proportionate share of reductions needed worldwide to minimize the impacts of global
warming, specifically”:
• A return to 2005 levels no later than 2014
• A 22% reduction from 2005 levels by 2022
• A 75% reduction from 2005 levels by 2050
It is clear now, though, that the State of Wisconsin will not be taking responsibility for its
contributions to global climate change. Before he was elected, Scott Walker aggressively
opposed Governor Doyle's proposed climate change legislation (which was defeated in the
last legislative session) and said the bill, which would have required renewable resources to
provide 25 percent of the state's energy by 2025, was unrealistic and “would kill us.” Walker
is also on record as saying that the reliance on coal technology is “not going to change
without great job loss and pain, and I don't think we should have to take either. So I want to
continue to have that technology." This new political reality will undoubtedly affect all the
UWS campuses in terms of overall funding and particularly in terms of funding to eliminate
coal combustion on state-funded campuses. But there is another factor to consider.
“Beyond Coal”
In 2008 Governor Doyle announced that the Charter Street Coal plant at UW Madison
would be converted to biomass by 2013. This decision did not result from Doyle’s already
demonstrated concern about global climate change, but from a Sierra Club lawsuit—which
they won in 2007—seeking to require 13 state-owned coal plants in Wisconsin to comply
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with air emissions standards of the Clean Air Act and increase generating efficiency. The
lawsuit represented a local victory for the Sierra Club’s national “Beyond Coal” campaign,
which targets coal plants in state-by-state initiatives, aiming to move the US away from coal
and toward more sustainable forms of energy. In Wisconsin, as elsewhere, the club mounted
a legal challenge to state-owned coal plants that they believe fail to abide by the Clean Air
Act. The UW-Eau Claire heating plant is one of the thirteen named in the suit.
The State DNR (Department of Natural Resources) has been slow to respond to
requests for information from the Sierra Club. Going forward, with a newly appointed
Secretary of the DNR, this will continue to be a legal and political struggle for some time. In
the meantime, UW-Eau Claire and our sister institutions that are ACUPCC signatories must
advance the goal of climate neutrality as best we can with the support at hand. And perhaps
these struggles represent a situation in which campuses might choose to teach the conflict.
The Campus, the Chippewa Valley, and Climate Action
At the local level UW-Eau Claire’s increasing attention to sustainability initiatives has
been matched by the interest in “green” initiatives throughout the Chippewa Valley. In April
of 2009, the City of Eau Claire added a chapter on sustainability to its Comprehensive Plan
2005-2025, with input from interested citizens including representatives of the university.
The published chapter includes ten identified objectives, notably “Reduce our contribution
to global warming causing climate change and minimize air pollution.” The City additionally
identifies moving toward climate neutrality as a necessity to reach that objective, noting
that UW-Eau Claire “has pledged to reach carbon neutrality by adopting The American
College & University Presidents Climate Commitment” (15-12). However, the chapter also
includes a photo of the university’s coal-fired heating plant next to their list of mitigation
measures; though there is no other direct reference to the plant, it appears that they
recognized the biggest barrier to realizing climate neutrality for UW-Eau Claire. This same
picture now symbolizes the local connection to the Sierra Club’s national initiative: “Beyond
Coal.” It remains to be seen how the governor’s office and the state legislature will affect
local efforts to achieve climate neutrality.
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