MU submits greenhouse gas emissions report
The report is part of an effort to make campus greener.
Published Jan. 22, 2010
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The MU power plant, located on Stewart and Fifth streets, produces a continuous stream of smoke. MU has recognized the power plant as the biggest source of greenhouse gases on campus and has been looking to move toward a coal-free power source.
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A new report conducted by the Sustainability Office found MU's campus puts off 485,932 metric tons of carbon dioxide, or MTeCO2, per year. Per student, that's 16.1 metric tons of carbon dioxide.
The study is part of The American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment, or ACUPCC, an agreement signed by more than 650 college presidents committing to making efforts towards reaching climate neutrality.
Chancellor Brady Deaton added his signature to the agreement a little more than a year ago, starting up efforts by the Sustainability Office to gather and get accurate data on the amount of greenhouse gasses MU puts off and where they come from.
Their efforts came to a head Friday when MU submitted its Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory, a formal report stating the amount of greenhouse gasses the university produced in metric tons.
"Greenhouse gas emissions might be the most important environmental problem we face today," Sustainability Coordinator Steve Burdic said. "This report helped us to identify the major sources of greenhouse gas, such as what we are using to generate our power and people's habits, so we know where to concentrate our efforts to reduce it."
According to an MU news release, the report was gathered and calculated by using a Clean Air, Cool Planet spreadsheet approved by the ACUPCC. The Sustainability Office calculated how many metric tons of carbon dioxide released into the environment by looking at the amount of gasoline, coal and other forms of energy that were burned or used up on campus, thereby producing carbon dioxide.
The report is broken down into three "scopes" of energy. The first one is direct energy emissions, which include on-campus power generators such as the power plant, as well as agriculture and purchased natural gas. Of this category, the university gives off 320,220.7 metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere per year.
The second scope of energy is indirect energy emissions. This includes purchased electricity, something that the university has done sparingly in the last few years due to the economic downturn, according to the news release. But, the Sustainability Office found the university produces 102,719.2 metric tons of carbon dioxide in this category.
The third scope, called "Other Indirect Emissions," includes carbon dioxide produced by commuting students and staff, including things like study abroad, solid waste and wastewater. This scope came out to 62,992 metric tons of carbon dioxide.
The Sustainability Office is moving to the next step toward a greener campus — making students and faculty more aware of what they can do to help reduce emissions.
"As a student, gathering information for the report, I believe the university is moving in the right direction," Student Sustainability Coordinator Patrick Margherio said. "Over the next year, we'll be seeking more input for the climate action plan. Already, many people on campus are eager to be a part of the process."
Burdic said the office already has a plan in place to build a biomass boiler, which he said would cut greenhouse gas emissions by about 25 percent.
Other efforts to reduce emissions entail inspiring student involvement and general awareness, as well as encouraging use of bicycles and simple things such as turning off faucets and lights when they are not in use.
"These actions are the next step towards eliminating coal use on our campus," Deaton said. "This will not happen overnight, but we must take action now. We want the entire campus community to be involved in the process."
