Campus Connection

Student leaders representing eight universities from Maryland assembled for a conference at Towson University from October 5-7, where they unanimously voted to launch a student-run campaign to push for changes in environmental policies simultaneously at the campuses of all the participating universities. The conference resulted in the creation of the Maryland Student Climate Coalition (MSCC)- set up to coordinate the carbon neutrality campaign amongst the various higher educational institutes in the University of Maryland System (USM).

Kelly Baker, the President of the Graduate Student Environmental Action Coalition (GSEAC) represented UMB at this conference and is in charge of overseeing the carbon neutrality campaign on our campus. We met up with Kelly Baker to get more insight into the why this campaign was launched and what the MSCC hope to accomplish from it. Following are the excerpts from the interview:

Preeta Dasgupta: What is the carbon neutrality/climate campaign all about? What do you hope it will achieve?

Kelly Baker: Higher education campuses have a responsibility to recognize the environmental impact of our schools and workplaces on local and global climate stability, as well as in human health, economy and technology. The campaign for carbon neutrality in USM schools is about supporting the transformation of our universities into examples of environmental responsibility through implementation of low-impact sustainable climate policy. As the sources of future leaders, innovative technology and scholarly achievement, we are in the best position to set an example of climate consciousness for individuals and other businesses. Therefore we must ask our Board of Regents and our Chancellor to mandate commitment to carbon neutrality for all schools (that are a) part of the University System of Maryland (USM).

P.D.: Who started this campaign and why?

K.B.: The Maryland Student Climate Coalition (MSCC) started this campaign to address our concerns that our universities were still maintaining many detrimental practices damaging to the climate. The MSCC is an assembly of student advocates who together coordinate and organize activities to occur simultaneously at all campuses that are a part of the University System of Maryland (USM). We feel it is unacceptable that our campuses participate in the production of large amounts of waste, use large amounts of energy obtained through non-renewable dirty fossil fuels, and invest in technology or architecture that does not reflect the highest standards of efficiency and are of low impact designs.

P.D.: Could you explain to the readers what the term carbon neutrality implies?

K.B.: Carbon neutral means limiting energy usage, obtaining power from renewable clean-energy sources, and offsetting unavoidable carbon emissions by investing in carbon-reducing projects.

P.D.: What measures do you and the members of MSCC want the UMB administrators to implement, so as to reduce the carbon footprint?

K.B.: Each campus in the USM will be dealing will different issues and resources. UMB is heavily research and human health related- which means that, by nature, we will consume more electricity and produce more non-recyclable waste than many other campuses. However we can compensate for this by guaranteeing that all new construction on campus be LEED (Leadership in Energy and Efficient Design) certified buildings, by purchasing most or all of our energy from renewable clean energy providers, by buying EnergyStar certified energy efficient equipment, by ensuring that current infrastructure is updated to run as efficiently as possible, by increasing both the quantity of materials redirected to recycling and conversely providing market demand for those materials by purchasing recycled products. In addition, we can as individuals in the workplace take responsibility for our own use of these resources by recycling, turning off equipment not in use, commuting to campus through public transport or ride-share arrangements, by not printing many electronic files, and by requesting your purchasing and procurement departments to invest in recycled-media products. If you think creatively, the ways in which we all can have an impact are numerous.

P.D.: Do you think these measures are practical? It seems like the universities will have to spend a considerable sum of money to achieve the goals that you have listed. Also can you tell us how UMB, its students, staff and the general public will benefit from this in the long run?

K.B.: There will probably be an initial investment required in the next few years for procurement of new technology. However there are many projects that will save money right away. Take LEED certified buildings for example. It costs on average 2% more to construct a new LEED building. However within the first year of operation, the energy usage drops on an average by 40% saving hundreds of thousands of dollars. This applies to water usage as well, and if the buildings on campus have incorporated any self-generating power technology, the decrease is even larger. It is only a matter of a few years before the initial investment will be been paid back several fold. This revenue can then be used to fuel other initiatives. Transitioning to clean local energy will provide more independence from the global market and reduce our demand for limited resources that cause global conflict. Plus, as the market grows, technology and prices will only become more accessible and affordable to the individual consumer. Moving towards sustainability is not just practical in the economic sense, but also fulfills a moral responsibility to future generations that we will leave them a planet in good health.

P.D.: How can students, faculty and staff help with the campaign?

K.B.: The first thing to do is to either sign the hard copy of the petition through fellow students or at student events, or go to our web site, http://www.umaryland.edu/usga/documents%2007-08/Climate%20Campaign, to sign the electronic version. If you would like to be more involved, contact me at kbake004@umaryland.edu and we can sit to talk about your interests. We can use help either on the campaign itself, or in initiating more specific projects right here on our campus.

P.D.: Are the GSEAC and other student groups involved as well?

K.B.: Currently representatives from GSEAC, the USGA, and MELS (Maryland Environmental Law Society are coordinating the campaign and the UMB climate advocacy issues. We also have many students who have taken up leadership roles in their own schools to talk about the campaign and get the petitions out and available to the student body.

P.D.: One last question- what is the next step for MSCC? What happens after the campaign is over?

K.B.: The process of implementing the proposed changes will occur over years, not days. So the next step for the MSCC is to monitor the progress for the various USM campuses and to advocate for adequate funding and resources to make carbon neutrality happen as quickly as possible. Even after that, keeping our universities at the forefront of sustainable technology and adapting to more efficient practices will be an ongoing process. Kelly, thank you for explaining to me and the readers the concept of carbon neutrality and the goals of the climate campaign. Good luck with the petitions!

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