The University should reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and seek to achieve carbon neutrality by fiscal year 2008, the Energy and Environmental Advisory Committee recommended in its report released Wednesday.
The EEAC's recommendations focus on three goals: greenhouse gas emissions reduction, carbon neutrality and leadership. The committee - made up of students, faculty and staff - recommended that by the year 2050 Brown reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent below 1990 levels. Achieving carbon neutrality by fiscal year 2008 was also recommended, as well as maintaining "a leadership position in addressing climate change," the report stated.
The recommendations included six strategies to help the University achieve the EEAC's goals. One encouraged Brown's increased use of renewable energy through on-site energy generation, external renewable energy project investments or the purchase of Renewable Energy Certificates. Another called for the reduction of the overall energy density of all new and acquired facilities.
The report's release was accompanied by an announcement from President Ruth Simmons that was read at the Earth Day 2007 celebration held by the Brown Environmental Action Network yesterday on Lincoln Field.
Simmons' announcement, read by members of the campus climate-neutrality advocacy group emPOWER, called the EEAC's recommendations "bold and thoughtful." The EEAC's proposal of pursuing carbon offsets through an "innovative program that would fund faculty and student offset projects focused on interventions in our local community" was "of considerable note," the announcement read.
Simmons also said in the statement she was "pleased to report" that Brown will begin to implement one of the EEAC's strategies immediately - reducing greenhouse gas emissions of fossil fuels burned in the central heat plant by 30 percent by fiscal year 2008. The fossil fuels will be replaced by natural gas.
"I think that emPOWER is really happy with EEAC's recommendations and with Ruth's statement," said group organizer Will Lambek '09. "And I think by fiscal year 2008, we'll be the first university to be climate-neutral."
Aden Van Noppen '09, a member of the EEAC and organizer for BEAN and emPOWER, said Simmons' announcement was "wonderful."
"The way we'll implement these policies is going to be new - it's setting a new bar on climate policy," Van Noppen added.
"I'm excited ... to have such a high level response to this," said Christopher Powell, the University's energy manager. "The commitment and attention is encouraging, and it makes my job that much more fulfilling, knowing that I've got the support of the University to move things forward like this."
The plans regarding the central heat plant will be implemented over the summer, he said. The report's recommendations must still be approved by the Corporation and various administrative groups.
"The intention is that now that (the recommendations) are out, let's see what everyone thinks about them," Powell said. "We'll continue that process of getting input form the overall Brown community, and take it from there."
