As fall term comes to a close, it is time to reflect on where we’ve been and what we’ve accomplished with the Climate Action Plan! We record our progress in fiscal years (FY): the 12 month period between every June and the next July, which the College uses to track accounting, budgeting, and planning. Sustainability can sometimes be a tricky subject to mark one’s progress on – whether it’s small projects that no one sees, or action steps that take years to come to fruition, climate action can be hard to track! At K, however, climate action is happening all the time, all across campus. Here are some of the progressive steps we made in FY24 (July 2023-June 2024) to fulfill the goals of the College’s Climate Action Plan!
GREENHOUSE GAS GOAL
During FY24, much of our progress on the Greenhouse Gas Goal comes from the ongoing sustainability projects around campus. One of the most impactful projects currently in the works affects the Light Fine Arts Building, DeWaters Residence Hall, and Olds Upton Lecture Hall. These three buildings are all in transition from central steam to regional heating, which will allow the heating for buildings to occur within or much closer to the individual buildings themselves!
Continuing on the trend of localizing our energy infrastructure, we are working towards accomplishing our building level energy metering goal. kWh (kilowatt hour) meters for all buildings serviced by campus electricity are in place to be set up by 2025; the Markin Racquet Center has been switched to all-new LED lights; and the College has officially joined the Kalamazoo Energy Collaborative.
Learn more about the Greenhouse Gas Goal here.
RESOURCE CONSERVATION GOAL
One of the biggest action items the CAP Committee accomplished during FY23 was to eliminate the non-scientific use of helium. Helium is a very limited natural resource, and by strictly limiting our campus consumption, we are making strides towards resource conservation. In FY24, that policy has been in place and enforced for the first time!
Another piece of ongoing progress is campus waste stream management – in other words, having a sustainable and efficient system to process trash, recycling, and compost all across campus. An on-campus summer fellowship was created to help reconfigure campus waste stream management.
We have also continued to work with Parkhurst Dining Services to ensure the presence of compostable disposables for all dining-related disposables. This happens in partnership with My Green Michigan, and is a great example of collaborative work between the campus and Michigan community.
Learn more about the Resource Conservation Goal here.
LEARNING GOAL
With the goal of exposing every K student to climate literacy, there’s a lot of important work involved with the Learning Goal! For one, the Biology Department has launched a re-design of it’s course trajectory, including new courses with an emphasis on climate biology.
The Environmental Stewardship Center has also utilized a comprehensive internship training session prior to the start of fall term. This training includes students working with the ESC in the following positions: Composting Crew, Hoop House Interns, Arb Trail Crew, ESC Interns.
The Faculty Representatives of the Climate Action Plan Committee have also begun the creation of a faculty climate toolkit, designed to inform and encourage K College faculty to teach climate-related material within their existing courses.
Learn more about the Learning Goal here.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY GOAL
One of the most exciting pieces of progress made in the Environmental Responsibility Goal was the approval of a Fossil Fuels Divestment Dashboard. Requested by the ECO student organization and put together by the Business & Finance unit, this dashboard represents increased transparency and solidarity in the reduction of fossil fuel use on campus.
The Environmental Stewardship Center hired an ESC Coordinator – Greta Farley, K’22. The ESC also had Hoop House interns attend and participate in the 2024 Foodways Symposium at the Kalamazoo Valley Food Innovation Center.
Learn more about the Environmental Responsibility Goal here.
