Summary & Introduction

Inventory Summary
Green Mountain College conducted its first comprehensive greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory in 2007. The College's net GHG emissions impact from July 1, 2006 to June 30, 2007 equaled 4,667 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e). Emissions and their sources are documented in Figure 1. Institutional offsets are accounted for in Figure 2 (below).

Figure 1: Percentage GHG Emissions by Source


Introduction
Green Mountain College was the nation’s first Energy Star Showcase Campus (1998), and has been recognized by the EPA’s Green Power Partner campaign for support of renewable energy and local economies through Central Vermont Public Service’s Cow Power program. In 2007, the College’s overall commitment to sustainability earned the Campus Sustainability Leadership Award from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). Sustainability permeates our academic program through the Environmental Liberal Arts curriculum, and students are encouraged to make sustainability an integral part of the extra-curricular and everyday activities. Furthermore, the College has attracted an impressive list of faculty members, many with extensive expertise on cutting-edge sustainability topics.

In 2007, then President John F. Brennan became the first Vermont college leader to sign the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). In accordance with the ACUPCC’s Implementation Guide, Professor Steven Letendre, Chair of the Campus Sustainability Council, conducted Green Mountain College’s first greenhouse gas inventory in the context of his course, Special Topics in Energy and the Environment. This inventory establishes a baseline against which future progress toward climate neutrality will be measured and a methodology suitable for a small college campus that will be used for future GHG inventories.

Figure 2: Total Greenhouse Gas Emissions
in Metric Tons CO2e