DICKINSON COLLEGE Planning Climate Action: A Practicum Course Neil Leary, Director Center for Sustainability Education Dickinson College

DICKINSON COLLEGE SUST 301: Practicum in Sustainability Goal – gain practical skills for creating a sustainable society Use campus or community as a living lab Group or individual project – Identify & analyze a problem of sustainable planning or management – Develop & communicate solutions Can be offered by any department

DICKINSON COLLEGE SUST 301: Practicum in Sustainability Crystalized Pedagogy, Environmental Studies, spring Going Green at Dickinson, Int’l Business & Management, fall 2009 Reducing Dickinson’s Carbon Footprint (spring 2011) Living Well, Designing a Sustainable Residence Hall, Policy Studies, fall 2012

DICKINSON COLLEGE Spring 2011 offering: Reducing Dickinson’s Carbon Footprint Community Partners: President’s Commission on Environmental Sustainability (PCES) Office of Facilities Management

DICKINSON COLLEGE Charges from PCES Evaluate progress toward GHG reduction targets; Assess adequacy of our Climate Action Plan; Review institutional structures & procedures; Identify & analyze additional measures; Develop & present recommendations.

DICKINSON COLLEGE Climate Action Plan Targets 2020 – 25% GHG reduction from 2008 – Offset balance to be climate neutral 2030 – 75% GHG reduction – Offset balance to be climate neutral

DICKINSON COLLEGE How are we doing? Not so good. Path we want to follow Path we are following

DICKINSON COLLEGE Course components Reading & writing assignments Clean Air Cool Planet calculator Financial project analysis Guest speakers Site visits w/ facilities staff Course project Presentations – In class, to campus community, to PCES

DICKINSON COLLEGE Readings Rappaport & Creighton, Degrees that Matter Simpson, Cool Campus! How to guide for college & university climate action planning, AASHE EPA, Energy Star Building Upgrade Manual Multiple climate action plans

DICKINSON COLLEGE Task Groups GHG trends, projections and targets Lighting & supplemental loads HVAC systems Cogeneration & renewables Space utilization & new buildings Transportation Carbon offsets CAP implementation

DICKINSON COLLEGE Key recommendations to PCES Oversight, accountability – Interim targets – Larger role for PCES Integrate CAP into decision making Culture change – Communication – Energy monitoring Explore and pursue options for – Energy conservation – Renewables & cogeneration Optimize space utilization – Net-zero for any new buildings Local carbon offsets Dedicated fund for Climate Action Plan

DICKINSON COLLEGE Outcomes for students Produced work of which they are proud and and that is impacting the college positively. Learned how to develop & support recommendations with analysis. Gained skills in team work Gained appreciation of the complexities of organizational behavior and institutional change. Gained respect for the professionalism and technical knowledge of facilities staff. Know that climate change is real and know how to take action to slow it.

DICKINSON COLLEGE Pitfalls Different expectations about what a practicum experience should be. – “Why aren’t we doing something?” – “Why are we reading about climate change and global ghg emissions?” Frustration with lack of technical knowledge. – “We don’t have the technical competency to make recommendations about HVAC systems.” – “We can’t understand what Whitey says.” – “When we tell facilities staff our ideas, they say ‘done that’, ‘tried that’, ‘that won’t work’.” Discomfort w/ taking responsibility for own learning. – “What do you mean you want me to talk to outside experts? Who do you want me to talk to?” – “The real world is messy. This is too hard.”

DICKINSON COLLEGE Impacts on the college PCES agreed to oversee CAP implementation, monitor progress. CAP targets now commonly discussed in context of major capital projects. – Facilities Office investigating feasibility of net-zero ghg emissions for new building projects. Facilities Office and CSE to investigate and pilot real-time energy monitoring. Reviewing options for financing CAP projects, including a Green Revolving Fund.

DICKINSON COLLEGE What are they doing now? Lauren Bruns: starting up a campus bike co-op Anthony Silverman: launched Idea Fund, a revolving green fund Tim Damon: member PCES; steering committee of Dickinson SAVES; will attend COP 17 in Durban Matt Gibbs: worked on sustainability plan for Logan Airport Rich Lauvai: works in Biodiesel Shop Megan Moody: sustainability intern; steering committee of Dickinson SAVES Sam Parker: manages Biodiesel Shop; board member of Idea Fund; will attend COP 17 in Durban Brett Shollenberger: just hired by GreenerU Amanda Stevens: WRI staff, works on shale gas