Purpose
Kalamazoo College is a campus committed to a sustainable future – a future in which the students, faculty, and staff who call this community their home may interact with the College in ways that are mutually beneficial for both people and planet. A guiding force of that interaction is the College’s Climate Action Plan (CAP), which ensures that our core value of sustainability is interwoven with all aspects of campus life. This document serves to report out on the progress made under the Climate Action Plan, demonstrating the steps we have made and the goals for which we strive.
Highlighting tangible changes that align with the four goals of the CAP, this report is intended to educate the greater campus community and beyond about environmental action at Kalamazoo College.
What is a Climate Action Plan?
“A climate action plan is a framework document for measuring, tracking, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adopting climate adaptation measures. These documents are used as a framework to guide administrative bodies in addressing the impact of climate change in their communities. Climate action plans typically include targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and detailed steps for meeting and tracking those targets. Climate plans are a crucial tool for tracking and meeting global climate goals. They can be applied at a wide range of different institutional levels, but the positive effects of a climate action plan will only be realized if the programs and goals within the document are implemented by government, university, or community institutions.”
Climate Check, 2022
2023-2024 Climate Action Plan Committee
Throughout the 2022-2023 academic year, the Climate Action Plan Committee shared the new 5-year Climate Action Plan with the campus community through all campus gatherings, department staff meetings, classes, and student forums. This was the first official year of the new 5-year action plan.
- Andy Brown – News and Social Media Director
- Greta Farley – Coordinator, Larry J. Bell ’80 Environmental Stewardship Center
- Richard Koenig – Professor of Art
- Susan Lindemann – AVP for Facilities Management & Chief Sustainability Officer
- Mia Pierce – K’26, Environmental Stewardship Intern
- Sara Stockwood – Director, Larry J. Bell ’80 Environmental Stewardship Center
- Darshana Udayanganie – Assistant Professor of Economics
- Emerson Wesselhoff – K’25, Environmental Stewardship Intern
Our Climate Action Plan
With the overarching goal of carbon neutrality, this document is intended to outline actionable steps towards attainment, with realistic outcomes. These interim goals consider the progress that has been achieved over the past ten years, areas that need targeted effort to stay on track, and what is possible with current technology and resources. The College maintains the aspiration to outperform these goals, as the climate crisis presents a mounting threat.
Goals:
- Greenhouse Gas Goal
- Resource Conservation Goal
- Learning Goal
- Environmental Responsibility Goal
CAP Matrix
The plan is laid out in a matrix that provides a high-level view of each item. The matrix format allows easy and accessible viewing of the CAP and its goals, as well as the actionable steps that are being taken to achieve those goals. This format is also particularly conducive to highlighting progress on each action item. To view the CAP Matrix, available on the Climate Action Plan website, please visit: 5-Year Climate Action Plan Matrix
Greenhouse Gas Goal: Reduce GHG emissions by 35% of 2008 levels by fiscal year end 2028.
One of the primary goals of the Climate Action Plan is the Greenhouse Gas Goal, which outlines plans to “continually work to reduce GHG emissions to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.” In the interim, the GHG goal aims to “reduce GHG emissions by 35% of 2008 levels by fiscal year end 2028.”
Essential to the GHG goal is thorough and accurate reporting of our GHG emissions; this is the basis of the college’s carbon reporting and this document.
The Reporting Mechanism
Where Are We Reporting Our Footprint?
Kalamazoo College utilizes a nation-wide program called SIMAP, or the Sustainability Indicator Management and Analysis Program, to report our emission’s data. SIMAP provides public reporting for the President’s Climate Commitment.
“SIMAP® is a carbon and nitrogen-accounting platform that can track, analyze, and improve campus-wide sustainability. Our proven algorithms, based on nearly two decades of work supporting campus inventories, helps create a baseline, benchmark performances, create reports, set goals, and analyze progress year over year.”
To view our SIMAP report, please visit: Kalamazoo College Carbon Reports
SIMAP is run by the University of New Hampshire’s Sustainability Institute. Over 100 universities and institutions around the world are reporting through SIMAP.
Carbon Report Components
Gross Carbon Equivalent: Total emissions (total gross emissions and gross emissions normalized per 1000 square feet), including all fossil fuel combustion from campus activity.
Scopes:
- Scope 1: Direct emissions from sources that K College owns or controls directly (Fuels: refrigerants, natural gas, running vehicles, etc.)
- Scope 2: Emissions that K College causes indirectly from where the energy is purchased and produced (electricity: from coal and natural gas and renewable energy)
- Scope 3: All other emissions that occur due to the nature of the operations of K College (business travel, commuting, waste, study abroad travel, etc.)
Categories: CO2 emissions per types of campus activity.
Gross Carbon Graphs
Total emissions (total gross emissions and gross emissions normalized per 1000 square feet), including all fossil fuel combustion from campus activity.
Figure 1: Gross Carbon per Year
Figure 2: Gross Carbon per Year Normalized per 1000 Sq Ft
Key Takeaways:
- Both figures show the College’s carbon emissions by year. Note that while both scales start at 0, they differ in magnitude.
- From 2008 to 2022 the College’s square footage increased by 69,386 sq ft.
- There were minimal changes from FY22 to FY24.
- Figure 1 shows Total Gross Carbon per year.
- Figure 2 shows Gross Carbon normalized per 1000 square feet.
Scopes
The “scopes” data records CO2 emissions based on type of fossil fuel use, which falls into three categories.
Figure 3: Scopes data displaying carbon emissions per 1000 sq ft from varying fossil fuel usages, measured in metric tons.
Key Takeaways:
- Scope 1 represents fuels, Scope 2 represents electricity and renewable energy, and Scope 3 represents all other fossil fuel emissions (business travel, commuting, waste, etc.)
- From FY23 to FY24, there was a slight change in Scope 1, resulting from a temporary decrease in boiler plant usage; this influences stationary fuels (i.e. natural gas). Scopes 2 and 3 stayed relatively similar.
Categories
The “categories” data records CO2 emissions per types of campus activity.
Figure 4: Categorical data displaying the level of emitted CO2 per campus activity per 1000 sq ft, measured in metric tons.
Key Takeaways:
- These categories showcase the criteria included in measurements of the three Scopes. They are also normalized per 1000 square feet.
- Most categories remained consistent from FY23 to 24. Since many remain static without massive operational changes, it is important to understand what values we both want and have capacity to change – in the coming years, changes to solid waste represents an exciting path.
Greenhouse Gas Goal: Reduce GHG emissions by 35% of 2008 levels by fiscal year end 2028.
In addition to the carbon report data, progress on the goals listed under the Greenhouse Gas Goals are noted below:
- Light Fine Arts, DeWaters, and Olds Upton buildings were all undergoing the installation of on-site hot water boiler plants to transition off central steam. These projects were completed in the fall of calendar year 2024.
- The Electrical Infrastructure Upgrade project underway will provide building level electrical metering for all buildings. This work will be complete in the fall of calendar year 2025.
- Mandelle Hall’s HVAC system was upgraded to replace the pneumatic controls with direct digital controls, which are 20-50% more energy efficient, and eliminated the need for compressed air.
- Replaced prior systems with several new hydrocarbon refrigerant systems
Resource Conservation Goal: Provide leadership in Resources Conservation measures for campus operations.
In addition to the carbon report data, progress on the goals listed under the Resource Conservation Goals are noted below:
- Campus-wide helium policy is in place.
- Working with Parkhurst as Dining Services provider to ensure the presence of compostable disposables for all dining related disposables (utilizing My Green Michigan).
- Continuation of summer fellowship program to re-configure campus waste stream management.
Learning Goal: Work toward exposing every Kalamazoo College student to the study of issues related to climate/climate change, ensuring that Kalamazoo College graduates will possess climate literacy.
- Biology department reconfigures course trajectory, including courses with emphasis on climate biology.
- The Environmental Studies Department held the yearly Sustainability SIP Symposium, celebrating the senior projects focused on sustainable themes from all disciplines/departments.
- Ongoing Open Gardening hours at the Hoop House.
- The CAP Committee Faculty Representatives beginning creation of faculty and staff climate toolkit.
- Comprehensive ESC internship training utilized prior to fall term.
Environmental Responsibility Goal: Develop campus-wide efforts to educate the K College community about climate change — stretching beyond courses an academic programs.
- Fossil fuels Divestment Dashboard requested by the ECO student org, and developed by the Business Office.
- Facilities Mgmt AVP and ESC Director met with Parkhurst Dining (district manager, K general manager and sustainability director).
- Confirmed sustainability director will send yearly reports that align with STARS.
- Custodial team implemented list of waste reducing efforts, including fewer plastic liner changes and reduced paper product waste.
- Hoop House interns attended and participated in the Foodways Symposium at Kalamazoo Valley Food Innovation Center.
- Partnership with Kalamazoo Nature Center for bridge installation at Lillian Anderson Arboretum. Utilized Stryker volunteers.
- ESC Director and and AVP of Facilities attended the USGBC SWMI chapter meeting.
- Joined the Kalamazoo Energy Collaborative (KEC).
Summary
The FY 2024 year represented an important period in tracking overall campus patterns. Following 3 years of dramatic swings in GHG emissions due to capital projects and a pandemic, and 1 year of stabilization, FY2024 contextualizes patterns of both continuity and change in campus carbon emissions.
Overall, FY 2024 contains a multitude of “in-progress” sustainable projects. In light of more regular operational activity following infrastructure improvements in FY 2023, the actionable steps forward made on these initiatives will help set the campus up for continued sustainability in the coming years.
These trends are coupled with significant progress within the Academic and Learning goals. Students, faculty, and staff have seen visible construction changes on campus; they’ve also been able to participate in increased opportunities for environmental action in the classroom, student org space, study abroad, and beyond.
Get Involved
We would love to be in touch and work together to make meaningful and sustainable change on the Kalamazoo College campus. Please get in contact with us any of these three ways, and we will make sure to continue the conversation about getting involved with the CAP.