As a participant in the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment, Bates’ first step toward achieving climate (or carbon) neutrality is to account for current emissions. These 2006 figures show Bates emissions in metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents (MTCDE), the accepted method of measuring the global warming potential of various human activities. The low figure for electricity (it was once around 5,000 MTCDE annually) reflects the College’s 2005 switch to green electricity.
| Category |
MTCDE |
|
|
Student commuting
(plane 6,620; car, bus, train:1,742)
|
8,362
|
|
| Heating |
6,972
|
|
| Study-away travel |
2,466
|
|
| Faculty-staff commuting |
1,154
|
|
| Solid waste |
608
|
|
| Purchased gasoline |
155
|
|
| Electricity |
5
|
|
| Total |
19,971
|
|
Source: Julie Rosenbach, environmental coordinator
