MU Environmental Network News
February 2009
Vol. 15 No. 2
Editor - Jan Weaver
208 Tucker Hall, MU 65211
MU's Carbon Footprint by Jan Weaver
The University of Missouri recently signed the American College and University President's Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), which requires these steps of its signatories: 1) initiate a plan to achieve climate neutrality by setting up the necessary institutional structures; 2) complete a comprehensive inventory of greenhouse gases (a carbon footprint); and 3) develop an institutional plan to become carbon neutral. I thought I would make a start on this effort by initiating my own inventory of MU's greenhouse gases using data from the annual University of Missouri Sustainability Report (2007). I decided to focus on carbon dioxide(CO2) because it is the most widely emitted gas and the easiest one for which conversion factors can be obtained. However, it is not the only one or even the most potent, which should be kept in mind when someone does this for real. The job was also complicated by the "boundary problem", where does your footprint end and mine begin; the difficulty of identifying and finding all the relevant data, and the sheer complexity of the energy web. But you have to start somehwere, so here goes.
MU Power Plant: The Columbia Campus has had its own power plant since the early 1900's. It is a combined heat and power plant that burns coal or other fuels to generate steam. The high pressure steam is first used to turn a turbine and generate electricity, then the lower pressure steam that results is used to heat and cool (yes cool) the campus as well as provide hot water. In 2007 the plant produced 238,000,000 kwh of electricity burning coal, natural gas, tires and fuel oil, and biomass (corn cobs, wood chips, switch grass) and by purchasing about 12% of its power. I used standard conversion factors for estimating lbs CO2 produced per kilowatt hour by a particular fuel source: 2.095 for coal, 1.321 for natural gas, 1.378 for tires and fuel oil and 0 for biomass. I assumed all the purchased power was coal generated, but in this part of Missouri it could also be hydroelectric or nuclear, which are both 0. Then everything was converted to metric tons of CO2 and added up, resulting in the emission of 219,474 metric tons of CO2.
MU's Building Construction: Embodied or embedded energy is the energy that went into mining, gathering, processing, or transporting building materials as well as the energy involved in construction. It means that every additional square foot of building we put up produces some measure of greenhouse gases, just in its construction, in addition to the demand it puts on the power plant. MU is 13,446,223 gross sq feet, or 1,249,000 m2 (not counting the hospital). Canadian Architect Magazine estimated that an average square meter of office space takes 4.82 gj (giga joules) to build, and CSIRO-Australia calculated that each gj produces 0.098 tons of CO2. Based on these figures, building the existing campus resulted in about 590,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions (0.044 tons CO2 per square foot). The new space added in 2007, 5436 gross square feet, resulted in the emission of 239 metric tons of CO2.
MU's Supplies and Materials: I approached this by looking at MU's solid waste, reasoning if the accumulation of stuff on this campus is in balance (which it probably isn't) then what goes to the landfill and recycling is in balance with what came onto campus. MU generated 6,668 metric tons of solid waste in 2007. The 25% of the waste that was recycled is the equivalent of 2698 metric tons of avoided CO2 emissions (EPA). If you assume the 75% that was landfilled was similar, the supplies and materials were responsible for the emission of 5,094 metric tons of CO2.
MU's Food: Oxford University's Environmental Change Institute has compiled data from several sources - scientific studies, press reports, industry - for fresh fruit, fresh and frozen carrots, smoothies, a burger, a bag of potato chips, cheeses, and fish fingers. The average amount of carbon dioxide produced per "serving" was about 3 kg. If you look at the contribution of each food to the average CO2, from greatest to smallest, cheese (by a factor of 3) > burger > fish fingers > frozen vegetables > smoothies > potato chips and fresh produce. For 2006-2007, MU Campus Dining Services registered 3.7 million transactions. If each transaction were equivalent to a "serving", then the food eaten purchased on campus is responsible for the emission of 11,100 metric tons of CO2.
Adding it Up: So far, 2007 CO2 emissions were 219,474 tons from the power plant, 239 tons from building, 5,094 tons from supplies and materials, and 11,100 tons from food for a total of 235,907 metric tons of CO2. The most significant missing factor in this estimate is probably transportation, but emissions of refrigerants, and agricultural emissions could also play a major role.
How does MU Compare? US emissions of CO2 for 2007 were 5,984,000,000 metric tons, so MU's contribution (excluding transportation) was 0.0039 %. Only two other institutions in the Big 12 have signed the AUCPCC, the University of Colorado at Boulder, and the University of Oklahoma at Norman. Only Colorado has calculated its footprint, but its data were not available. Other institutions that have done an inventory of their greenhouse gases are University of Massachusettes - Amherst 2007: 142,237 metric tons (26,360 students). Tulane University 2000: 52,981 metric tons (11,157 students); Duke University 2003: 380,000 metric tons (13,457 students) ; Oregon State University 2007: 151,287 metric tons (19,753 students) ; University of Pennsylvania 2007: 440,000 metric tons (19,492 students); and University of California Berkeley 2006: 209,000 metric tons (35,409 students).
What is MU Doing to Reduce its Carbon Footprint? Cogeneration of heat and electricty means MU does not have to purchase them from separate sources, allowing campus to reduce emissions by 65,485 metric tons of CO2 (based on heating and cooling comprising 29% of US CO2 production). In addition to avoiding those additional emissions through cogeneration, the plant is able to work with researchers exploring the feasibility of using biomass as a fuel. This past year 1% of MU's energy came from biomass allowing campus to reduce emissions by 227 metric tons of CO2. Energy Management has also been able to reduce per square foot energy use by 12% per square foot by upgrading lighting, changing out inefficient HVAC systems,installing motion sensors, and installing networked electronic controls. Harder to estimate are the reductions gained from switching from coal, which is trucked in from Illinois, to biomass, which can be harvested in Missouri. Unfortunately, gains in energy efficiency are offset by the increasing number of campus buildings, which have increased square footage by 28% since 1990. Recycling 25% of our solid waste reduces the need to make the same products from virgin materials and reduces emissions by 2,698 metric tons of CO2. Campus Dining Services is working with local suppliers of fruits, vegetables, pasta, burgers, pork fritters and cage free eggs which lowers the miles food travels. It also offers vegetarian options at all meals, is developing at least one vegan dish for lunch and dinner options, has incorporated more grains, legumes and fresh vegtables, and is exploring relationships with organic producers - all of which should reduce the average CO2 per serving.
So here it is. Clearly flawed, but a start on estimating MU's CO2 footprint, along with a little bit of context to put it into perspective. As I tell family, friends, co-workers and students - Anything worth doing is worth doing OK - because you can usually count on someone itching to improve on what you did. The hard part is always taking the first step.
Sources
campus GHG inventories - http://www.aashe.org/resources/ghg_inventories.php
conversion factors - http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/page/co2_report/co2report.html
embodied energy of buildings- www.canadianarchitect.com/asf/perspectives_sustainibility/measures_of_sustainablity/measures_of_sustainablity_embodied.htm
energy to Carbon conversion - http://www.cmit.csiro.au/brochures/tech/embodied/
embodied energy of recyclables - http://epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/waste/downloads/chapter7.pdf.
embodied energy of food for TESCO - http://www.eci.ox.ac.uk/research/energy/lowcarboneconomy.php
Special Events/Programs/Classes/Talks
February 2 - Master Naturalist Class Orientation - 6 to 8 pm, Boone County MU Extension Center. Training sessions will be Monday from 6 to 9 pm beginning March 2 and ending May 11. Three Saturday field trips are included. Enrollment $75. Kent Shannon at 573-445-9792 ext 310or shannond@missouri.edu
February 3 - Construction Work in Progress (CWIP) and Nuclear Power - 6 to 7 pm, KOPN 89.5 - Peter Bradford, former chair of the New York Public Service Commission and former Commissioner on the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission http://climateprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/nuclear-costs-2009.pdf . refreshments
February 3 - Construction Work in Progress (CWIP) and Nuclear Power 7 pm, Boone County Commission Chambers - Peter Bradford, former chair of the New York Public Service Commission and former NRC Commissioner
February 3 - Recycling Awareness Day - 10:00- am to 2:00 pm, Missouri State Capitol Rotunda - Green Elvis, Recycling Exhibits, Recycled Fashion Show, and Calendar Award presentations. www.mora.org
February 4-6 2009 - Missouri Natural Resources Conference - Global Trends, Missouri Impacts:Adapting to Climate Change- Lake of the Ozarks, Tan-Tar-A Keynote speakers -Linda Joyce, an ecologist at the USDA Forest Service's Rocky Mountain Research Station., and Dave Gustafson, a senior fellow at Monsanto www.mnrc.org/index.html
February 6 - National Teach-In on Global Warming on MU Campus - 10 am to 3 pm, MU Memorial Union. National webcast in S110 Union at 10, 12 and 2, Presentation on Building Dashboard at 11, and on Urban Agriculture at 1. Sustainability Fair in Stotler Lounge weaverjc@missouri.edu, or moeac@missouri.edu
February 6 - Green Friday Movie: "GOOD FOOD" - 7 pm Unitarian Church, 2615 Shepard Blvd. 12 short documentaries on how free trade and sustainability affect the food we eat. Green Fridays are 1st Fridays of the month.
February 9 - Water Quality Indicating Insects - 7 pm, Friends Room, Daniel Boone Regional Library - sponsored by Mo River Comm Network, DNR and Stream Teams, 573-256-2602 or troyofkat@yahoo
February 10 - April 28 - Master Gardener Class - 4:30 to 7:30 pm, Boone County MU Extension Center. $135. Kent Shannon at 573-445-9792 ext 310 or shannond@missouri.edu
February 17 - Conservation Lobby Day - Jefferson City - Lobby Day brings together concerned citizens from around the state to talk with legislators about environmental issues facing Missouri. - http://www.movotesconservation.org/
March 5 or 7 or 8 - Volunteering at Rock Bridge 101 - Rock Bridge Memorial State Park office - information on the park and roles of park volunteers, - http://www.mostateparks.com/rockbridge.htm choose events from the menu
March 7 - Marie Osa Dump Clean-up /Part 2 - Jefferson City - help clean up an historical massive dump site on the Osage River under the 54/63 bridge - www.riverrelief.org/events/index.html
March 10 - Utility Bill-Cutters Workshop - 7 pm Columbia Public Library Friends Room - city and county energy experts will provide info on cost-cutting tips and rebates. Refreshments. 573-445.4663
March 13 to 15 - Show MeSustainability Conference - University of Missouri, Columbia - statewide conference for students to "connect, learn and lead" towards a sustainable future - http://showmesustainability.org/
Organization Meetings and Contact Information
AUDUBON SOCIETY: 874-3904 / columbia-audubon.missouri.org Meet 3rd Wed 7:30 pm, Unitarian Church, 2615 Shepard Blvd.
BOONE COUNTY SMART GROWTH COALITION: http://smartgrowth.missouri.org/, 1st Weds 7:15 Boone Co Govt Ctr.
CENTER FOR SUSTAINABLE LIVING: 875-0539 or http://www.midmopeaceworks.org/sustainableliving.php
CHOUTEAU GROTTO: http://chouteau.missouri.org/, Meet 1st Wed, 7 pm, The Casteel Building, 1518 Business Loop 70 East
COLUMBIA CLIMATE CHANGE COALITION: 573-529-9273, Meet 3rd Thu http://www.columbiaclimatechangecoalition.org/
COLUMBIA FOOD CIRCLE: 882-7463 or http://foodcircles.missouri.edu/sources.htm
COLUMBIA PUBLIC WORKS VOL. PROGRAMS: 874-6271 or http://www.gocolumbiamo.com/Volunteer/Opportunities/#PW
COMMUNITY GARDEN COALITION: 875-5995 or cgardenc@yahoo.com or http://cgc.missouri.org 3rd Thursdays 7 pm Columbia Public Library
ENV EDUCATION WORKSHOPS AND CONFERENCES: http://www.conservation.state.mo.us/teacher/workshops/
FRIENDS OF BIG MUDDY: friends@friendsofbigmuddy.org or www.friendsofbigmuddy.org 2nd Tues, 7 pm, Bryant Cabin
FRIENDS OF ROCK BRIDGE M. S. P.: 815-9255 or http://rockbridge.missouri.org/ Outdoors Bldg, 200 Old 63 S.
GET ABOUT COLUMBIA: http://www.gocolumbiamo.com/GetAbout_Columbia/index.php
GREEKS GOING GREEN: new group for fraternities and sororities at MU sauzp5@mizzou.edu
GREEN SANCTUARY: 1st Fridays, 7:00 pm UU Church 2615 Shepard Blvd alternates green movies and discussions g_baka2002@yahoo.com
GREENBELT LAND TRUST OF MID-MISSOURI: 442-4789, greenbelt.land.trust @gmail.com or http://greenbelt.missouri.org
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY RESTORE: 815-9836, drop off/ buy 1906 Monroe St. Columbia Mon to Fri 8:30 to 3:30, Sat 8-1 1pm,
MISSOURI ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION: www.meea.org
MO NATIVE PLANT SOC.: http://columbianativeplants.missouri.org/, 2nd Mon, odd months, 7 p.m., UU Church, 2615 Shepard
MISSOURI RIVER COMMUNITIES NETWORK: 573-256-2602 or www.moriver.org or moriver@coin.org
MISSOURIANS FOR SAFE ENERGY: http://www.mosafeenergy.org/Content/ first Tuesdays, 7:15, Peace Nook on Broadway
PEDNET COALITION: email: pednet@pednet.org or http://www.pednet.org
RIVER RELIEF: http://www.riverrelief.org/
ROCK BRIDGE MEMORIAL STATE PARK: 449-7402 or http://rockbridge.missouri.org
SHOW ME CLEAN STREAMS COALITION: (573) 751-4115 ext 3169 or www.mostreamteam.org
SIERRA CLUB: 875-2916, http://missouri.sierraclub.org/osage/index.htm 3rd Tuesdays 7:30 pm Hillel Found., 1107 University Ave
SUSTAIN MIZZOU: http://students.missouri.edu/~sustainmizzou/
WILD ONES: 573 882-9909, ext 3257 or email wildonesmo@yahoo.com, http://wildones.missouri.org Meetings 2nd Saturdays.
Feedback - Got an opinion? If we have space, we will consider publishing it. Submit it by email (envstudy@missouri.edu), snail mail (Environmental Studies, 211 Lowry , MU, Columbia MO 65211), or call Jan Weaver to talk about it (882-7116). MU Environmental Network News is published by MU's Environmental Studies Initiative. All opinions expressed are the responsibility of the editor. Any part of this newsletter may be copied for distribution but please give us credit.