The Carbon Balance Sheet and Beyond: The Climate Neutral Campus 

Wednesday, June 9, 2010 - 8:00am-4:00pm

University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

Climate Action Plan Workshops

Open to: All Public and Private Colleges & Universities in Massachusetts  

Colleges & Universities are encouraged to send represenative teams of faculty, staff, students and administrators for a chance to network with peer institutions and learn best practices in the creation, submission, and implementation of campus climate action plans.

 Individual opportunities to have your questions answered by the experts!

Office hours with the experts (including representatives from The Massachusetts Leading by Example Program, The Enviornmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Clean Air-Cool Planet, and others) will be available during the day.

  FREE

Registration required to attend!

Sponsored by:

AGENDA

8:00-8:45    Registration and Continental Breakfast

8:45-9:15    Welcome

9:15-10:30  The Climate Action Plan: Actualizing Planned Reductions

Please join us for a workshop conversation on two climate plans from two institutions who have tackled writing plans-and will tackle reductions- differently.

         Moderator:  Jennifer Andrews, Director of Program Planning and Coordination, Clean Air-Cool Planet
         Speakers:    Susan Jennings, Director of Campus and Community Sustainability, UMASS Dartmouth
                               Amanda Navarroli, Manager of Sustainability, Bentley College

10:30-11:00  Coffee Break

11:00-12:30   Workshop Session 1

Track 1: Beyond the Envelope and HVAC: Low/No-Cost Stategies to Reduce Energy on Campus

While some energy efficiency improvements require significant amount of capital, there are many strategies that campuses can implement to save energy at very little or no cost. From computer power management to occupant behavior, reducing a campus’ plug load does not have to break the budget.  Participants in this workshop will hear about many successful energy efficiency strategies employed at Mount Wachusett Community College as well as state agencies across the Commonwealth, which cost little and saved lots—both money and energy.

           Moderator:  Eric Friedman, Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources 
           Speakers:    Mike Walker, Beacon Consultants Network, Inc./The Cadmus Group
                                 Rob Rizzo, MA Department of Energy Resources
                                 Mark Nelson, MA Division of Capital Asset Management

Track 2: Actualizing Transportation Reductions

The scope three emissions in your inventory were the most difficult to quantify. Now the charge is to implement reduction measures in a sector where the numbers feel a little "squishy". This panel will discuss undertaking reduction measures in the transportation sector, while also considering how to better capture the necessary data to quantify (and celebrate) those reductions. We'll also talk about the other thorny carbon management issues lurking in that large catch-all definition of scope 3. Students, faculty, and staff are calling for more accountability and leadership in reducing these emissions. What lessons can we take from charting emissions and reducations in the transportation sector to food, purchasing, water treatment, composting, and more? What does it mean to include scope 3 reductions in your long-term planning? 

Track 3: Financing Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Projects

From utility rebates to power purchase agreements, there are numerous opportunities to fund your campus energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.  Come learn about different funding and financing mechanisms that can move your campus closer to realizing its clean energy and climate goals.

           Moderator:  Tom Darling, Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources
           Speakers:    Andy Brydges, MA Clean Energy Center
                                Spring Greeney, MA Dept. of Energy Resources (PPAs)
                                Gerry Bingham, MA Dept. of Energy Resources (APS)

12:30-2:00   Lunch and Office Hours

 Get your questions answered by the experts manning the following tables:

Supporting Public Campuses: Leading by Example - State policies, financing, identifying projects, energy tracking, with Eric Friedman and Janet Curtis, Director and Associate Director, respectivley, of Massachusetts Leading by Example Program, EEA/DOER

Troubleshooting the Campus Carbon Calculator- Jennifer Andrews, Manager of Communications and Special Projects, Clean Air-Cool Planet

Transportation Demand Management and Better Collection of Commuter Data-David McIntyre, Institutional Practice Leader, Vanasse Hagen Brustlin, Inc.

Reducing the Environmental Impact of Campus Food Purchasing- Anne Stephenson, Campus Outreach and Climate Fellows Coordinator, Clean Air-Cool Planet

Creating a Culture of Sustainability Literacy- Susan Jennings, Director of Campus and Community Sustainability, UMASS Dartmouth

Realizing (and Quantifying) Reductions through Behavior Change-Lea Lupkin, Energy Climate Solutions

Offsets and RECs-There are no dumb questions: Bill Burtis, Communications Manager, Clean Air-Cool Planet

ACUPCC  Questions-Steve Muzzy, Program Manager, Second Nature

Innovative Solutions to Energy Hogs on Campus- Gyms, Pools, and Laboratories: Mick Dunn, Shift Energy

High Performance Buildings- Rob Pratt, Energy Climate Solutions

2:00-3:30   Workshop Session 2:

Track 1:  Pathways Toward Zero Net Energy Buildings

In Massachusetts, buildings account for 54% of our consumed energy, resulting in significant greenhouse gas emissions.  Dramatically improving energy performance in both existing buildings and new construction is essential to meet both our climate and energy challenges.  In 2009, the Massachusetts Zero Net Energy Buildings Task Force released its report: Getting to Zero, making policy recommendations to move the Commonwealth on a pathway toward the universal adoption of zero net energy design and construction. Participants in this workshop will learn about key policy initiatives underway to help achieve this goal as well as actual design and energy strategies to get a building to zero, or near zero.

           Moderator:  Janet Curtis, Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources
           Speakers:    Mark Walsh-Cooke, ARUP, Cambridge, MA 
                                 TBA

Track 2: Being Savvy about Offsets and RECs

To buy or not to buy? And buy when? And buy what? What about financing projects on campus by selling RECs or offsets from on-campus projects? And where do offsets fit into this picture; should you be making your own off-campus in the community? This panel will talk about the offset protocols of the ACUPCC. It will cover how to compare the market price of offsets and RECs against on-campus reductions, and where and when they enter into your climate neutral plan. We'll also talk about schools that have made their own RECs and offsets-both on campus and off-campus.

           Moderator:  Anne Stephenson, PhD, LEED AP, BPI Building Analyst, HERS Rater, 
                                                      Campus Outreach and Climate Fellows Coordinator, Clean Air-Cool Planet
           Speakers:  Georges Dyer, Senior Fellow
                                                          "ACUPPC Protocols on Offsets and RECs"
                               Bill Burtis, Communications Manager, Clean Air-Cool Planet
                                                        "Being a savvy customer and developer of offsets and RECs"
                                Kurt Teichert, Lecturer in Enviornmental Studies and Manager of Enviornmental
                                                                                                            Stewardship Initiatives, Brown University
                                                       "Forgoing Market-based Offsets and Creating/Funding Local Reductions"

Track 3: Creating Educational Payback, Energy in Wider Context

Colleges and Universities impact not only their students, but also their faculty,staff and the communities surrounding them. During periods of rapid change, they are looked to for leadership and context. This panel will discuss how sustainability assessments and climate action plans can draw students and community members into a broder dialogue about our future.

           Moderator:  Susan Jennings, Director of Campus and Community Sustainability, UMASS Dartmouth
           Speakers:    Robert Darst, Associate Professor of Political Science, UMASS Dartmouth
                                 Michelle Dyer, Chief Operating Officer, Second Nature

 3:30-5:00   Networking Reception and Office Hours Continued