Download SP Booklet2.pub - Beloit College

A Special Project by Shelby Laubhan
Greening
BELOIT’s
Greenhouse Gas
Emissions
Fall Semester, 2002
Page 1
Table of Contents
Introduction………………………………………………………………………..…..…..
2
1 - Background Information……………………………………………......…… 3 - 5
- What are Greenhouse Gases (GHGs)?……… 3
- How do GHGs affect the climate?………... 4
- How do GHGs affect our campus?………….. 5
2 - The ACTION PLAN………………………………………………………….……
Conducting a GHG Inventory.…… 7
Fellow Campus’ Successes - and Networking…… 8 - 10
Beloit College campus initiatives….. 11 - 16
- The GHG Inventory….... 11
- Sample Special Projects & Task Groups….... 12 - 16
Campus Stewardship…….. 17
6 - 17
3 - The STRATEGY PLAN (for students)…………………………..……… 18 - 25
The Message and Target Audience……. 19 - 20
Marketing the Message - Tools, Places & Stunts….. 21 - 23
Recruiting Campaigners…… 24
Sample Press Release…… 25
4 - Additional Helpful Resources…………………………………………… 26 - 28
Environmental Organizations….. 27
Recommended Books and Guides….. 28
Bibliography …………………………………………………………………………..…. 29 - 30
More than 40% of waste in U.S. landfills is paper, and another 7% is food and yard waste. That means that about 50%
of landfill waste could be converted into commercial biofuels — ultimately reducing CO2 emissions from fossil fuels.
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Introduction and Acknowledgements
In February, 2002, I attended a conference on the topic of reducing greenhouse gases on
college campuses at Lewis & Clark College in Oregon. Carol Mankiewicz had originally
made note of the event and invited me to accompany her. I thank Carol for paying heed to
my interests in the environmental field and considering me for the trip, and I also thank
David Burrows’ funding committee for making our journey to the West Coast possible. If it
were not for my attendance to this conference, my special project would have certainly
taken a different route. In addition, I appreciate the generosity and aid of the IDST funding
committee and Dean Flanagan’s ‘last resort funding’ committee for the wonderful copies of
this booklet. I would also like to acknowledge Carol Mankiewicz’s FYI course for their participation in my task groups.
Continuing my thanks, my acknowledgment goes to all of my dedicated and detailed proofreaders of this document. Amy Sarno, Robin Greenler, and Bonnie Zahn also deserve additional recognition for advising me and revising my work over the years. And, last but of
course not least, I thank my faithful friends and family, whom lent their ears to hear my
rants and ramblings, their eyes to my achievements.
As an Interdisciplinary Studies major, I have concentrated my studies on the environment
and public relations. This special project is an excellent example of the two fields’ compatibility. The booklet is designed to do two things:
1) Educate the reader
2) Motivate activism and/or support from the reader
This booklet contains four primary sections. The Background Information is a briefing on
what greenhouse gases (GHGs) and climate change are. This section previews the necessity
and immediacy for GHG reductions here on campus. The ACTION PLAN is a comprehensive
guideline to preventative actions Beloit College can take to combat climate change by reducing GHG emissions. The STRATEGY PLAN (for students) is a public relations guide to
marketing the ACTION PLAN and promoting GHG awareness on our campus. Finally, Additional Helpful Resources is a listing of organizations and books that can aid in additional
GHG research.
I have acted as an environmental consultant for the College. One may be able to find a
number of similar GHG pamphlets and guidelines and toolkits, but nowhere else will one
find a booklet directed strictly towards initiatives Beloit College can take. This document
can be used as a whole, or picked apart and applied accordingly to the issue of reducing
GHGs on this campus. It is a document that I hope will serve as a catapult for a greener Beloit College campus, an essential measure indeed.
Shelby Laubhan
Class of 2003
November, 2002
With only 4% of the world’s population, America emits 1/4 of the world’s CO2. Americans can achieve a 60% reduction in CO2
by adopting a European standard of living, In addition, the majority of the energy-efficient technologies are currently available.
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Background Information
What are Greenhouse Gases?
By now I’m sure you have heard the talk of, or in some cases talked the talk of, “greenhouse gases.” But, allow
me to provide you a brief summary of the issue at hand.
Greenhouse gases (GHGs) are various chemical compounds in the Earth’s atmosphere that allow sunlight to
enter the atmosphere unimpeded. When sunlight strikes the Earth’s surface, some of it is reflected as infrared
radiation (heat). Heat is then absorbed by greenhouse gases (listed below), entrapped in the earth’s atmosphere, and reflected back down to earth. This is known as the “greenhouse effect.” The greenhouse effect is a
natural occurrence, and without it the Earth would be too cold to sustain life as we know it. It is the unnatural
emitting and accumulation of GHGs today that is causing excess heat retention.
The primary anthropogenic greenhouse gases are:
Carbon dioxide
Methane
Nitrous oxide
Halocarbons
Sulfur Hexaflouride
The Greenhouse Effect (Ian Warpole, Oceanus magazine,
CO2
CH4
N2 O
PFCs and HFCs
SF6
1992, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA.
Vol.35, No.1,
FACTS & ESTIMATES on CO2 :
~ Today we add SIX BILION TONS of CO2 to the lower atmosphere every year. This is the most CO2 emitted than since long before the
first humans evolved.
~ Human-produced CO2 in the atmosphere will remain there for decades — anywhere from 50 to 200 years.
~ Scientists project that the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere could double around 2100.
~ The melting of the Arctic tundra may release huge quantities of methane, a GHG even more powerful than CO2.
~ Paleontological records reveal that prehistoric shifts in CO2 concentrations correlate very closely with dramatic alterations in the climate.
~ The present-day explosion of fossil-fuel emissions that is increasing CO2 concentrations in our atmosphere is reversing the
effects of the natural carbon cycle.
If everyone bought the most energy-efficient car in each class, the U.S. would save 1.47 billion gallons of gasoline every year.
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How do GHGs affect Climate?
When speaking of climate change and/or global warming and the greenhouse gas effect, it is most important
to differentiate climate vs. weather. Climate simply means the typical prevailing weather in an area or region,
averaged over a series of years. Weather, on the other hand, is a day-to-day phenomenon — such as wind,
rain, temperature, pressure, and so on. As an area’s climate changes, the area’s weather may alter to the extreme. For instance, if the climate gets warmer (i.e. through global warming) the weather could result in hotter summers, colder winters, and alterations of the four-seasons we know today in the Midwest.
Undoubtedly the climate has naturally changed and evolved along with everything else on Earth. What is difficult to prove is whether or not humans (and our emissions of GHGs) have caused unnatural climate change. I
am convinced, however, and so is the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which concluded
that “the balance of evidence suggests a discernible human influence on global climate” (http://www.ipcc.org).
The evidence that GHGs has caused recent climate change is overwhelmingly strong for the IPCC to come to
such a conclusion. Since the industrial revolution, and within this past century alone, carbon dioxide concentrations have risen almost 30%, methane has more than doubled, and nitrous oxide has increased about 15%
in the atmosphere. Along with these GHG concentrations, there has been a steady increase in global temperature (see figures below), along with a plethora of wild and wrathful weather events world-wide.
INDICATORS OF
CLIMATE CHANGE
Office of Science and Technology Policy. October 1997.
OBSERVED GLOBAL SURFACE
AIR TEMPERATURES
NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York.
Evidence of Climate Change:
~ Scientists have determined that the five warmest years since the 15th century have all occurred prior to the 1990s — the warmest year
being 1998 and the second warmest year being 2001. In addition, records are showing that 2002 may be even warmer than 1998.
~The climate is expected to respond to GHGs with a global average temperature rise of about 3.5o Fahrenheit by 2100. The actual rise
could range between 6o and 8o Fahrenheit, in comparison to the last Ice Age being a mere -10o Fahrenheit less than today’s temperatures.
~ A abnormally large section of ice the size of Rhode Island broke off the Larsen ice shelf in Antarctica in 1995.
~ The Antarctic peninsula’s average temperature has risen by almost 20o Fahrenheit in the last 20 years.
~ Since the Industrial Revolution:
~ 1/2 of the earth’s un-frozen landmass has been transformed through desertification, deforestation, flooding, farming, etc.
~ 1/2 of the world’s 1% of drinkable water has been depleted
~ 2/3 of the major fisheries have been depleted, and 50% of world’s coral reefs have been lost
~ The rate of loss of biodiversity has increased 100 to 1000 times more since the Industrial Revolution
90% of the world’s cars are owned by 1/5 of the world’s population.
Page 5
How do GHGs affect our campus?
A better question would be: how is our campus affecting GHGs? We’re undoubtedly adding to the GHG dilemma; we are all factors in the present-day climate change. Greenhouse gases are affecting our campus in
the same manner they are affecting our world climate.
If you have taken a look at the evidence about climate change, you know that
something must be done. Not only can you personally cut down GHGs, you can become an advocate for cutting down our campus’s GHGs. Whether you are a member of the student body, faculty, or staff and administration, your activism is essential, and this booklet is designed for you. You can aid in the implementations discussed in the ACTION PLAN, you can participate in the STRATEGY PLAN, or you can
simply show your support by giving your attention and time-of-day to the cause.
Excerpts from Ross Gelbspan’s The Heat Is On:
“We are, through our industrial activities, tampering with immense planetary systems whose complexities and interactions
we barely understand.”
“There is no debate among any statured scientists of what is happening… The only debate is the rate at which it [climate
change] is happening.” [says James McCarthy, chair advisor of the IPCC].
“While the carbon dioxide high in the upper atmosphere acts to trap heat inside the global greenhouse, the lower-level umbrellas of sulfate particulates reflect the sunlight back into space, creating localized cooling effects that conceal [or cancel
out] the continuing warming.”
“With sales exceeding $2 billion every DAY, the oil industry supports the entire economies of most of the nations of the Middle East and large segments of the economies of Russia, Mexico, Venezuela, Nigeria, Indonesia, Norway , and Great Britain,
among others. It employs millions of workers and affects the fortunes of tens of millions of investors. Substantial cuts in oil
and coal consumption could… cripple the global economy.”
“Over the last six years the coal and oil industries have spent millions of dollars to wage a propaganda campaign to downplay the threat of climate change… They can buy media access.”
“In the U.S., the truth underlying the increasingly apparent changes in global climate has largely been kept out of public
view. As a result, what most Americans know about global warming is obsolete and untrue.”
“Almost every week international news wires carry stories about extreme, disruptive, and often record-setting weather
events. Unfortunately, these stories normally get buried away in local newspapers, and powerful forces are at work to see
that they remain obscure and their significance unrecognized.”
“The pressures militating against change are pervasive — and denial is a formidable obstacle. We are afraid, on one hand, of
the impacts of global climate change. The climate snaps that the ice cores tell about are truly horrendous to contemplate.
The prospect of the world becoming a storm-battered, insect-infested breeding ground of infectious disease, of temperature
extremes, of extensive drought and desperate heat, is truly terrifying.”
“By the time we actually feel the heavy brunt of climate-driven catastrophes, it may well be too late for us to preserve any
semblance of democratic order. Governments would likely be forced to resort to martial law in order to respond to weatherrelated homelessness, disease outbreaks, food shortages, and economic disruptions.”
“We have at hand all the technology and knowledge we need to replace the world’s supply of coal and oil and, eventually,
of natural gas. They need only to be taken to the level of mass production and deployed throughout the world. “
For every degree a thermostat is turned down, you save ~10% on the heating bill and substantially cut down GHG emissions.
Page 6
The
ACTION
PLAN
T
he greenhouse gas reductions ACTION PLAN includes feasible, energy-efficient — and often cost-efficient — ways Beloit College can
reduce GHGs. First, I will go over how a GHG Emissions Inventory can
be initiated and accomplished on our campus. Second, we will take a
look at what emission-reduction measures have been taken at other
campuses. Finally, by looking at current practices on campus and Campus Stewardship initiatives, we will determine what special projects
could be enacted to aid in the reduction process of GHG emissions.
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Conduct a Greenhouse Gas Inventory
What is the Inventory?:
The GHG Inventory can be accomplished with a tool-kit designed for college campuses by
Cool Air Cool Planet, a non-profit organization dedicated to finding solutions to climate
change. Cited in the tool-kit are three steps to the inventory process.
1) “The first step is data collection. The four major source categories are: energy, agriculture,
waste, and refrigeration and other chemicals. Energy will likely be the largest source and is
further divided into off-campus electricity production, off-campus steam production, oncampus stationary sources (such as heating and cooking) and transportation (university fleet
and commuter traffic). Emissions from energy use are estimated from the quantity of fuel
burned using national and regional average emissions factors, such as those provided by the
US Department of Energy. The other categories will probably add up to less than 10% of the
total, but are nonetheless important to estimate. If all the information is not available, or resources needed to gather it are not available, one may gather complete data as far back as
possible. It is best to have solid numbers back to 1995, rather than weak ones from 1990.
2) The second step in completing an inventory is calculating the emissions. This will be done
with the University Greenhouse Gas Inventory Calculator, an Excel workbook that will calculate emissions from the gathered data and provide analysis [from Cool Air Cool Planet]. The
data collected in the first phase will be entered directly into the spreadsheets, which will
automatically calculate emissions. Results will be provided in both weight of the gases emitted and in metric tons carbon dioxide equivalents, according to their Global Warming Potential (GWP) to provide the relative contribution of each gas to climate change. The Calculator
also has many graphs and other tables that will help the user understand the emissions.
3) The third and last step of the inventory is analyzing the results. Any large jumps or drops in
emissions should be examined for an explanation and, if resources allow, this whole process
should be explained in a report that summarizes the emissions.”
(http://www.cleanair-coolplanet.org/)
Conducting the GHG Inventory is one of the first steps that must be taken if greenhouse
gas emissions are to be reduced at Beloit College. How will we know what we have to reduce, if we don’t first know what we are emitting?
It is apparent that the inventory is not a simple or short-term task. In order for the inventory
to happen, there will have to be extensive campus collaboration (see The GHG Inventory,
page 11).
Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) use 70% less electricity than traditional or halogen lights, and last ten times longer.
Page 8
Fellow Campus Successes and Networking
Campuses nationwide are participating in a movement of environmental sustainability —
from solar energy, to organic meal plans, to GHG emissions trading, to much, MUCH more
(see Campus Stewardship, page 17). Not only are universities and colleges filled with young
people, they are filled with a bulk of knowledge and experience. They are breeding
grounds for activism of all causes and disciplines.
Throughout our history, universities and colleges have set precedent after precedent for society. It is with this idea that schools have begun their own green movement by incorporating environmental principles into curriculum and facility operations. For instance, by conducting “environmental audits/inventories” students are demonstrating their desire for energy efficiency. By applying the most recent “green technologies” in their schools, administrators are demonstrating the usage of energy efficiency. And, by expanding curriculums
into the environmental realm, faculty are demonstrating the importance of energy efficiency and the overall importance of environmental awareness.
In regards to reducing GHGs, let us look at a brief timeline, derived for Cornell University’s
KyotoNOW! website (see KyotoNOW! - A National Campaign, following page), on fellow
universities’ initiatives:
2000, New Jersey state commits
• New Jersey committed to reduce its GHG emissions to 3.5% below 1990 levels by 2005. Its plan relies on securing voluntary emissions reductions from various industries, capturing emissions of methane - that traps 20
times more heat than CO2 - from landfills, and preserving open space and trees, which can absorb CO2 from
the atmosphere. (http://www.state.nj.us/dep/)
2001, Feb. New Jersey's 56 universities and colleges commit
• Following the leadership of the New Jersey State Government, the 56 New Jersey universities and colleges
pledged to meet the same goal: 3.5% below 1990 levels by 2005.
2001, Apr. Cornell University commits
• After a semester of work by KyotoNOW!, the Cornell administration committed to reduce GHG emissions to
7% below 1990 levels by 2008.
2001, May Connecticut College goes green!
• Students at Connecticut College decided that they would pay the extra costs of buying green energy for the
school. Their energy would come from 5% wind, 68% hydro and 27% methane from land-fill gas, making it
100% renewable. (http://www.conncoll.edu/)
2001, Aug. Six New England “states” commit
• Under an agreement, signatories pledged to cut emissions to 1990 levels by 2010 and by 10% below that
level by 2020. Those cuts are to be followed by even deeper reductions.
2001, Oct. Pennsylvania schools buy wind energy and commit to 5% green energy
• University of Pennsylvania, Penn State University, and Carnegie Mellon University bought wind energy from a
new wind farm. The University of Pennsylvania bought the largest block of wind energy ever purchased in
the U.S. - 20,000,000 kwh! It will make up about 5% of total energy use.
2001, Dec. The State of Pennsylvania commits to 5% green energy
• Following the schools leads, the Governor of Pennsylvania committed the state to buy 5% of its energy from
green sources. This is a prime example of campuses setting a precedence.
2002, Feb. Lewis and Clark College meets protocol
• After years of student, faculty and administrative organizing, Lewis and Clark students agreed to pay a tuition
increase of $10 per year, in order to purchase CO2 ‘offsets,’ and hence become the first college to meet Kyoto
Protocol standards.
An area of the rainforest the size of Pennsylvania is deforested each year, contributing to 22% of global CO2 emissions.
Page 9
In addition, GHGs are being cut country-wide (and internationally, too) at hundreds of
schools. A few more good references include:
Tufts University, which instituted the Tufts Climate Initiative (TCI), is committed to a 30% emissions
reduction by the year 2012. TCI works closely with university operations, staff, faculty, and students
and focuses on four key areas: C02 reductions, research and monitoring, education, and outreach &
events, which includes helping fellow institutions make commitments to reduce GHGs.
(http://www.tufts.edu/tie/tci/TCIMenu.html)
At Brown University, the Brown Is Green program combines student research, education, and administrative efforts to reduce the environmental impacts of specific operations, including water and
electrical consumption and solid-waste management. The Brown is Green climate initiative derived
from TCI’s Outreach area. (http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Brown_Is_Green/big/)
Within recent years, Oberlin College formed Climate Justice to raise awareness of global climate
change issues and to compel the college to incorporate the goal of permanent climate neutrality
into every facet of official policy and planning. With support from the Educational Foundation of
America, a project know as the 2020 Project entails a detailed audit of the College's energy use and
GHG emissions, followed by the development of scenarios to reduce and potentially eliminate
Oberlin College's GHG emissions. (http://www.oberlin.edu/~envs/2020proj/home.htm)
The Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute is an environmental outreach arm of Northland College. It
increases public understanding of local natural and cultural environments, while assisting in developing workable solutions to regional environmental problems. Recognized in both Canada and the
United States as a leader in facilitating environmental policy discussion, the Institute works closely
with federal and state agencies, local governments, business leaders, public interest groups, and
local citizens. (http://www.northland.edu/soei/welcome/index.html)
KyotoNOW! - A national movement
In the early months of 2001, administrators at Cornell University in Ithica, New York, were faced
with some very determined student activists who called for arrest against climate change. Holding
“rallies, teach-ins, poetry readings, and music galore for a week straight,” and initiating a sit-in at an
administrative building, students urged administrators to commit to reducing GHG emissions on
campus to the standards of the Kyoto Protocol. After a full week of campaigning and negotiating,
the students had a victory.
Prior to their victory, a group of Cornell students had become part of KyotoNOW!, “a grassroots global climate change
(a.k.a. global warming) campaign, promoting national action though the power of the university.” The backbone of the
movement derives from the Kyoto Protocol, negotiated and signed in 1997 by 142 nations — the U.S. not being one of the
signers. “The Kyoto Protocol is an international framework to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in an attempt to mitigate
global climate change, by requiring developed nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to about 5% below 1990 levels
by the years 2008-2012.”
KyotoNOW! participants do not only feel it necessary to reduce GHGs on their school campuses, for their main goal is to set
an example for our national government. Overall, it is KyotoNOW!’s hope that schools implementing the Kyoto Protocol’s
standards will lead the way in a new era of green energy and GHG reductions.
Currently 30 campuses nation-wide are networking through KyotoNOW!. If you are interested in starting up KyotoNOW!
here at Beloit, go to: http://www.rso.cornell.edu/kyotonow/
Fridges >3o C (6o to 8o degrees F) are wasting energy, and making a significant contribution to the greenhouse effect.
Page 10
Campus Ecology — A Case Study of Success
(http://www.envirocitizen.org)
University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, 1989:
“April Smith and a group of graduate Urban Planning graduate students at the University of California at Los Angeles decided to write their thesis on the environmental practices of their campus. For six months they investigated the university's environmental quality by analyzing documents, evaluating campus decision-making, reviewing regulatory policies, interviewing campus officials, and researching alternative practices. Their report, In
Our Backyard: Environmental Issues at UCLA, Proposals for Change and the Institution's Potential as a Model,
was the first study to comprehensively examine the state-of-the-environment of a college campus.
The release of their report produced an unanticipated wave of inquiries on — and off — campus, locally as well as nationally.
Based on their experience, the UCLA team developed a student guide, the Campus Environmental Audit. As the centerpiece
for Earth Day 1990's national student campaign, the audit became a tool for assessing ecological impacts and implementing
change at hundreds of schools in the United States and abroad over the next two years. In 1993, April and the Student Environmental Action Coalition published Campus Ecology, which represents an updated and expanded edition of the original
campus environmental audit. In just one year, Campus Ecology has emerged as one of the most effective, innovative tools
for students, faculty, staff, and high level campus officials seeking to improve campus environmental quality.”
Knowing what other schools have done in the environmental field is a critical part of knowing what can be done at Beloit College. Following other campuses’ examples is key in
achieving realistic goals. In addition, gaining knowledge about fellow campus accomplishments encourages the essential communication tool of networking. Networking involves
coordinating with allies and making connections.
In addition to the contact information listed in this section, and the Helpful Resources section of this booklet, the following are prime places to contact and gather further knowledge about reducing GHGs at Beloit College:
National Wildlife Federation (NWF)
The nation's largest member-supported conservation group, the NWF is a non-profit charitable,
educational organization. Serving as one of their educational programs for more than a decade,
NWF's Campus Ecology has been helping transform the nation's college campuses into living models of an ecologically sustainable society and training a new generation of environmental leaders.
Make this a definite first-stop when Web-browsing for information.
(http://www.nwf.org/campusecology/)
International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)
Receiving funding from the government of Canada and other national governments, United Nations agencies, foundations, and the private sector, the IISD has developed Sustainable Development on Campus: A Toolkit. There are learning modules, case studies, action plans, environmental
policies, resources, forums and contacts, all designed to help administration and staff, students, or
faculty implement sustainable development on campus.
(http://iisd1.iisd.ca/educate/)
The Center for Environmental Citizenship (CEC)
A national non-partisan, non-profit organization, founded by young activists in 1992 to encourage
college students to be environmental citizens, CEC is dedicated to educating, training, and organizing a diverse, national network of young leaders to protect the environment. In addition to checking out this organization’s activities, be sure to look at their Media Toolkit, a wealth of helpful information. (http://www.envirocitizen.org)
These three resources provide excellent advice and recommendations for greening a college campus and are gateways to further connections and networking opportunities.
Dust on a refrigerator’s condenser coils can increase energy consumption by 30%., and fridges can account for 25% of one’s energy bill.
Page 11
Beloit College Campus Initiatives
Once one gains knowledge and awareness of fellow campuses’ successes, one can focus
more steadily on what can be done here at Beloit College. Included in this section are
suggestions and recommendations that I believe the College can realistically institute.
The GHG Inventory:
As previously stated, in regards to reducing GHG emissions,
a GHG Inventory is one of the first actions that must be initiated. I have adapted the following list from Blueprint for a
Green Campus (http://www.envirocitizen.org) and added a
few additional points. The list cites ways in which the campus can go about collaborating, initializing, and conducting
the GHG Inventory.
Students:
• Study the College’s organizational structure and physical
operations system to understand who makes decisions and how
facilities are managed.
• Collect existing data from past research on any aspect of the college’s environmental impact
through the physical plant office and/or other sources.
• Develop a written work-plan and work timelines.
• Build a group of allies in support of the inventory, including students and student government,
faculty, staff, administration, alumni, and trustees (see the STRATEGY PLAN, page 18).
• Perform the GHG inventory for academic credit as a special project, thesis, or course group
project. Or, try to obtain work-study employment for Inventory work either during the school
year or over the summer months.
Faculty:
• Offer students academic credit for Inventory work, or suggest it as a special project or thesis topic.
• Establish task forces for each specific area and coordinate student research (see next section).
• Provide expertise for inventory research.
• Encourage Inventory support and awareness from all of faculty body at conferences.
• Become an ally to students’ activism, and participate in their campaign (see the STRATEGY
PLAN, page 18).
Staff and Administration:
• Establish work-study jobs or financial-aid for students conducting the Inventory.
• Show support with participation to meetings or rallies held to bring awareness to GHGs on
campus — be a student ally.
• Provide support through grants.
• Help students solicit outside support by networking the Inventory procedures to alumni, trustees,
and community officials.
• Proclaim Beloit College as an institute that honors environmentally-friendly practices.
(This is a great registration recruitment tool!)
~1/4 of U.S. electricity, $37 billion worth, is used for lighting. This is more electricity than South America and Africa combined!
Page 12
Sample Special Projects & Task Groups
The concept of “task groups” requires delegating the work-load. In essence,
task groups are composed of a number of persons working on a single project through a number of small project tasks.
While task groups should be closely coordinated by an outside source and
call for a number of people, a “special project” is an initiative that a single
student can accomplish on her/his own. For instance, this booklet is a special project! Furthermore, special projects can be done for up to a whole
credit, and can be conducted in a number of creative ways.
To serve as a basis for the ACTION PLAN, and an example of task group work, I coordinated
task groups to conduct mini-environmental audits around campus. I designed each task to
center around the emitting of GHGs.
I have presented the groups’ findings throughout this section, by interweaving their results
in the following outlines. These outlines serve as sample special projects that should be initiated in order to reduce GHGs on campus. These sample projects could be accomplished
with carefully mandated task group work, too.
Sample Project #1
Energy (computers)
Project Thesis: To discover the amount of GHGs campus computers emit and feasible ways
in which these emissions can be reduced.
Some things to do:
- Document computer labs in each academic building (talk with ITS & Physical Plant)
- Categorize each lab’s location, its number of computers, and the following questions:
o Are computers tagged with the Energy Star symbol?
o Do they have screen savers or sleep-mode when kept on?
o Are computers kept on overnight?
- Conduct surveys for student, staff and faculty computer usage, asking similar questions
- Research what other campuses (similar to Beloit’s size and situation) have done, or are doing
with computer usage, and answer the following questions:
o What type of energy reduction measures have been taken elsewhere?
o What are similarities and/or differences between those campuses and our own?
o Does Beloit use computers more, hence use more energy
when compared to fellow campuses?
A few things to consider:
- A task group found that Chamberlin’s first and second floors have
63 computers, 11 of which have the Energy Star label; MorseIngersoll first, second and third floors have 31 computers, only six
with the Energy Star label
- A regular computer produces 1500 lbs of CO2 annually when left on
24 hours a day, costing $115; energy-efficient computers use about
half the energy, and hence cost half the price to operate
Gas appliances cost half as much to run as electric ones, and produce 33% less greenhouse gas.
Page 13
Sample Project #2
Transportation (vehicle commuting and trips)
Project Thesis: To examine commuting practices and school trip practices that our campus
body participates in and to figure out how the GHG emissions of these campus vehicles can
be cut down.
Some things to do:
- Conduct a student car audit
o Categorize cars by license-plate and distance traveled
o Conduct a student survey to determine how often they travel in/out-of-state
- Conduct a staff and faculty car audit
o Estimate the distance traveled by each car every day
- Research the school vans that are rented for sports, student activities, conferences, etc.
o What is the average amount of miles these vehicles are driven each semester?
o What kind of mileage do these vehicles get? Do they all pass WI emission standards?
- Research what other college campuses have done to minimize campus vehicle emissions
- Look into setting up a carpooling system for daily commuters, or other creative ways to
reduce emissions
A few things to consider:
- A task group conducted a student car audit of the vehicles in one,
single parking lot, and found cars from 25 states
- The same group found that of the seven vehicles the college loans
out for school trips, some are rarely driven, while others are taken
out on the road every day; why is this?
Environmental Government Programs:
Energy Star
www.energystar.gov or 1-888-STAR YES
Energy Star is a U.S. program run jointly by the EPA and the U.S. Department of Energy. Unlike appliance efficiency standards, Energergy Star is purely voluntary, and companies that choose to participate obtain the right to use the Energy Star logo only if their product is significantly more efficient than required by government standards.
Green Power Partnership
http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/
EPA’s Green Power Partnership is a new voluntary program designed to reduce the environmental impact of electricity generation
by promoting renewable energy. The Partnership will demonstrate advantages of choosing renewable energy, provide objective
and current information about the green power market, and reduce the transaction costs of acquiring green power. Commercial,
nonprofit, and public organizations can become partners.
Climate Protection Partnership Division
http://www.epa.gov/cpd/
The Division works with businesses, organizations, governments, and consumers to reduce emissions of GHGs that contribute to
global climate change by promoting greater use of energy-efficient and cost-effective technologies.
Horizontal axis washing machines and dryers save water, detergent, fabric wear, electricity and energy costs.
Page 14
Sample Project #3
Energy (lights)
Project Thesis: To determine Beloit’s light usage and GHG emissions, and look into (and
help out with) Beloit’s long-term plan to cut emissions and costs.
Some things to do:
- Document what types of light bulbs are used around the campus, from dorms to offices
- Conduct an audit of people’s usage/abusage of lights
o Check bathrooms and other prime places where lights are often left on
o Some buildings and/or classrooms have efficient sunlight; discover where lights are
unnecessarily used
o Check for areas where both a table lamp and a ceiling light are used simultaneously
- Research what other colleges have done to cutback on light usage, making special note of
those campuses similar to Beloit’s size
Determine how to go about convincing the campus body to reduce light consumption
A few things to consider:
- Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) use 70% less electricity than traditional incandescent or halogen lights and last ten times longer
- The Physical Plant has stated that all incandescent bulbs on campus will
eventually be fluorescent, but is there a way that this ‘eventually’ can
happen sooner than planned? How can one aid in this process?
Sample Project #4
Landscaping (trees)
Project Thesis: Understanding the botany of our campus, how it contributes to GHG reductions, and how landscaping can be enhanced to further reduce GHGs.
Some things to do:
- Research trees and their absorption of CO2 to learn how trees can offset climate change
- Conduct a detailed tree audit of campus (speak with Dick Newsome or Yaffa Grossman)
o Pay attention to tree types and sizes (i.e. oak, maple, big, little, etc.)
o Estimate how much CO2 these trees absorb
- Research what the original, native landscaping of our campus was like
o Was it thick forest, tall grass prairie, marshland, ravines, etc.?
o To what extent have exotic tree species altered our campus
since the college was built? What difference does this make?
- Look into what other campuses have done in terms of enhancing
natural landscaping
- Cite areas in which more trees (or prairie) could be planted
A few things to consider:
- A task group found ~500 trees on campus’s academic side, covering
about 20 acres, which may absorb up to ~eight tons of CO2 annually
A VCR on standby (whether the clock is blinking or set) uses almost as much energy as one playing a tape!
Page 15
Sample Project #5
Transportation and Waste (food service)
Project Thesis: To understand the ecological footprint of our campus’ food system, and aid
in the reduction of GHGs emitted.
Some things to do:
- Research the concept of an “ecological footprint” and accordingly apply the results to our
food services menu and transportation practices
- Audit how much solid and liquid food is being disposed of at Commons
- Audit the paper and plastic disposal practices at D.K.’s
- Work with food service to determine ways in which waste disposal can be minimized; conduct waste experiments (speak with Bill Behling)
- Research what other campuses have done to “green” their food
service; are these tactics applicable at Beloit?
A few things to consider:
- A task group found Baraboo Sysco, 104.6 miles away, is our main
food provider, but local suppliers are favored if economically possible; are all local suppliers being taken advantage of?
o Receiving two food shipments weekly, delivery trucks emit
almost 500 lbs of CO2 weekly
- The same group discovered we do not compost our food waste
because of environmental regulations and proximity to the river; Could there possibly be a
way around these regulations? Could composting ever be initiated?
Sample Project #6
Waste (recycling)
Project Thesis: To become an expert on our recycling program, and learn ways in which it
can be better utilized and/or further enhanced, in attempt to reduce campus GHGs.
Some things to do:
- Research our blue-bin recycling program
o Has it encountered troubles/opposition?
o Has it been effective? How or how not?
o Where do the recyclables go, post Physical Plant? What happens to them there?
- Audit blue-bins usage/misusage through experiments and observations
o
How many recyclables actually get recycled?
o Are there more products that could potentially be recycled?
- Research what other campuses have done to maximize recycling
programs, and figure out how to implement such actions at Beloit
A few things to consider:
- A task group found that the College did not have recycling until a
Wisconsin recycling law was instituted in 1990; How is this revealing to
Beloit’s stance on the matter?
- The same group learned of a full-time staff member that re-sorts all of the
campus’ blue-bin contents; What is this staff member’s perspective on the
matter?
~1 ton of recycled paper saves 32,000 liters of water, and enough electricity to power an average house for half a year.
Page 16
(Sample Special Projects & Task Groups continued)
These Sample Projects are just rough outlines to potential special projects that could be enacted by students. These outlines are meant to serve as a basis and focus of ideas; it is to be
expected that the projects will evolve further. In either case, the aim of the projects is to aid
in the reduction of campus GHG emissions.
As stated earlier, task groups could also be utilized in conducting these projects, perhaps as
a class assignment. However, if this were to be the case, it is highly recommended that close
inspection and facilitation of the groups is enacted.
All in all, whether conducting a special project, or coordinating or participating in a task
group, utilize these Sample Projects to their full potential.
And, although these Sample Projects may be good starting points, they are certainly not
the only special projects and/or task group oriented work that can be conducted in attempt
to reduce GHGs on campus. The Additional Helpful Resources section of this booklet contains a number of organizations that provide multiple initiatives for institutes to undertake.
For instance, Wisconsin’s Environmental Decade, a non-profit concentrated in southern
Wisconsin, is conducting an ongoing campaign against climate change, and does this
through broad-based coalitions that include conservationists, sporting groups, business, labor and health groups. Perhaps it would be in Beloit’s best interest to join such a coalition.
Further Benefits of GHG Reductions
Aside from the climate change issue, there is a plethora of beneficial reasons to reduce GHGs on our campus. For instance,
by becoming committed to environmentally-friendly initiatives, Beloit College can carve itself a niche in the liberal arts education world. Special recognition could also be achieved for conducting innovative environmental measures.
Another important benefit of reducing GHGs on campus involves the forming of relationships between other schools
through networking, which was earlier discussed. Not only could Beloit better its internal community through energy conservation practices, but by reaching out on the GHG issue, Beloit could build onto its external community as well. As the
saying goes, “the more the merrier.”
Finally, by reducing GHGs there is the potential of reducing costs. Professor David Orr at Oberlin College, Ohio, researched
and published his solid belief that there is no reason why every college campus in the country should not adopt a 2020
zero-emission goal. Within his arguments, he points out the environmental, social, and economic cost benefits of a zeroemission standard. As chair to the Environmental Studies Program, and winner of the National Conservation Achievement award in 1993 from the National Wildlife Federation, Orr was the driving
force behind the construction of one of the “greenest” buildings in America, the Adam Joseph Lewis
Center for Environmental Studies at Oberlin.
Learn more about David Orr and his studies through his books Sustainable Education: Re-Visioning
Learning and Change and Earth in Mind: On Education, Environment, and the Human Prospect. In
addition, learn more about sustainable buildings by checking out Building Green News at:
http://www.buildinggreen.com/
Recycling creates three times more jobs than incineration, and greatly lessens the greenhouse gas effect.
Page 17
Campus Stewardship
The “campus stewardship” ideology involves understanding our campus as a community — as a microcosm of societal habits. This ideology views college campuses as systems to examine and modify
in an attempt to promote environmental, economic and social benefits. In a nutshell, campus stewardship is a movement, often radiating out of small liberal arts institutes such as our own. Julian
Keniry’s book, Ecodemia: Campus Environmental Stewardship at the Turn of the 21st Century, outlines 12 benchmarks that encompass campus stewardship. They are: executive support, policy, resources and incentives, structural framework, curriculum, research, ecological planning and design,
sense of place, measurable reduction of cost and waste, public relations and documentation, financial accountability and leadership development, and training. This booklet, Greening Beloit’s Greenhouse Gases, touches upon the majority of these benchmarks, and serves as a campus stewardship
guideline. Campus stewardship’s model is one that fits the values and belief system of all campus
community members at Beloit College. By jumping on the stewardship bandwagon, Beloit College
can emphasize its dedication to education and societal involvement.
A fine example of campus stewardship is Bates College in Maine. From the Office of the Environmental Coordinator, to the bookstore and dining services, to the registrar's office, Bates is constantly initiating and implementing a wide array of campus "greening" projects (http://
abacus.bates.edu/). Closer to home, let’s look at UW Madison’s campus stewardship, the Campus
Ecology Program, in a little more detail. UW Madison is a neighbor to Beloit with similar local accessibilities and is gigantic compared to Beloit. I firmly believe that if a campus stewardship initiative
can be undertaken on such a large scale where administrative inertia is prominent, and in such
close vicinity, there is no doubt that the initiative can be taken, and likewise accomplished, here at
Beloit.
At UW, campus stewardship — also known as campus ecology — activities are coordinated by Environmental Management, a program of UW Facilities Planning and Management's Physical Plant.
UW’s Campus Ecology Program states, “Staff collaborate with students, faculty, facility managers,
and administrators to encourage resource conservation, pollution prevention, and protection of
natural areas.” The program entails an ongoing research project, in which undergraduates, facilities
managers and faculty advisors work together to investigate real-world environmental management
problems that affect the campus, such as waste disposal and transportation pollution. The recycling
program, is another component of campus stewardship at UW, and addresses issues such as paper
contractors and the overall effectiveness of campus recycling. Finally, UW’s landscaping program
touches upon issues ranging from tree inventories and tree tours to negative impacts of salt use on
the natural environment. Find out more on UW’s Campus Ecology Program at:
Cleaner and Greenersm
Cleaner and Greenersm Environment is a nonprofit organization of Leonardo Academy in Wisconsin. The organization has
an interdisciplinary approach that includes a thorough understanding of policy, economics, and scientific and technical issues, in order to improve the environment through education, analysis, consumer programs, and the development of innovative approaches to public policy implementation.
The Academy “works to harness both competitive market and public policy mechanisms as engines for
environmental improvement and increased energy efficiency and renewable energy…. It reports reductions in emissions, and promotes the development of markets for the emission ....” For more information
on Leonado Academy, Cleaner and Greenersm, and emission reductions in general, (including cost-saving
benefits) go to: http://www.cleanerandgreener.org/
If you are not using a computer for 15 minutes or more, turn off the monitor. Turn off the whole computer
when it is not being used for an hour or more (NO IT DOES NOT WASTE MORE ENERGY TO RESTART IT).
Page 18
The
STRATEGY
PLAN
A
s the greenhouse gas reductions ACTION PLAN tells how Beloit College can reduce GHGs, the public relations STRATEGY PLAN, designed for students, tells how Beloit College can go about enacting support of the ACTION PLAN. The STRATEGY PLAN is a guide on how to
gain attention, and whose attention must be gained. First we will look at
the importance of having a succinct message and target audience. Then,
we will explore various ways of communicating the message, and ways
to recruit campaigners. Finally, a sample press release is included.
Page 19
Identifying the Message and Target Audience
What is a Message?
Put simply, a “message” embodies your cause. It is an explanation stating your concern, and in our
case the concern is the reduction of GHGs on campus.
The message puts the cause into an easy-to-understand format for those who are unfamiliar with
the issue.
The message can be stated as a solution:
- Reducing greenhouse gases is the only way to combat climate change,
so our campus should join the good cause and reduce emissions.
- Energy-efficient appliances minimize the extent of climate
change, so our college should invest in such products.
- By reducing greenhouse gases on campus, we can set
a precedent for our local and national leaders.
The message can be stated as a problem:
- Greenhouse gases are altering the earth’s climate in
unnatural ways, and our campus is as guilty
as oil companies.
- If greenhouse gases aren’t reduced, and climate change
unrelentingly persists, we can forget about Beloit’s white winters.
Or the message can be stated as a series of propositions:
- Our campus should reduce greenhouse gas emissions because…
> it would lesson the effects of climate change.
> it would be cost-efficient.
> it may encourage other campuses to do likewise.
A campaign should have one message, expressed in a sentence or phrase. Messages are different
than slogans, though. A message is the content that underlies the slogan. A slogan is a short catchy
phrase or visual element encompassing your cause.
Slogan: Green is Clean!
Message: Alternative, green energy is the safest form of energy for our environment and for us.
In essence, the message is what you want people to know.
The slogan is how you want to say it.
In addition, prior to creating a message and slogan for your public relations campaign, one should
put together a list of the campaign’s goals. “We want the student body to know about GHGs” is not
a sufficient goal. Be specific and direct. By identifying your goals, you just might stumble upon your
message, and slogan, simultaneously (see Setting Goals, below).
Setting Goals
Goals are the most basic component of a campaign - they are a list of aspired achievements. After all, how is one going to
have a successful campaign if one cannot measure achievements along the way?
When setting goals, try to divide them into long-term, interim and short-term goals. For instance, a long-term goal might be
meeting the Kyoto Protocol’s GHG emission standards here on campus. An interim goal might be getting CFLs installed
throughout the campus. A short-term goal might be the sponsoring of a campaign marketing stunt (see page 22).
Along with listing goals, a timeline would be of great use. Try to be as realistic as possible. Take into account how long lead
campaigners will be around on campus, and which semesters they might be studying off-campus.
If your car gets 20 miles per gallon, you produce ONE pound of CO2 for every mile that you drive.
Page 20
What is a Target Audience?
The “target audience” is perhaps the most crucial part of any strategic public relations campaign. To
explain, take a look at the following strategy outline, derived from a national public relations firm:
Strategy =
What needs to happen?
Who can make it happen?
What [message] do they need to hear?
Who should they hear it from?
How can we tell them?
The first question is easy to answer. What needs to happen? Our goals need to happen, ultimately
we want to reduce GHG emissions on campus. As to the following four questions, one may not realize it at first, but each one centers around the concept of a target audience. Take another look at
the four queries:
Who can make it happen?
What [message] do they need to hear?
Who should they hear it from?
How can we tell them?
It should become clear that the “who,” “they” and “them” is the target audience. In essence, the
strategy of any campaign should cater to the target audience. For if “they” are the ones that can
make goals happen, then “they” are the ones that need to be addressed. However, it is most important to note that a GHG reductions campaign here at Beloit is not an “us vs. them” issue. I am using
the terminology of “them” in the broadest sense, meaning “they” are the people whom are not yet
aware of the campaign. Just because “they” may not be aware of the issue, does not mean that
“they” are against it. This is where “us” campaigners come in — we are here to make “them” aware.
Who is the Target Audience?
There can certainly be more than one target audience, although some groups may have to be targeted more than others (see The Top Target, page 25). While learning which audiences to target
here at Beloit, it is important to know:
The general public really doesn’t hold one general opinion.
The masses don’t do things; individual people do things.
The student body really doesn’t hold one student opinion.
The campus doesn’t do things, individuals on campus do things.
Taking these simple sayings into account, it must be stressed that campaigners need to address individuals. Do not try to convince the whole student body, and all the faculty and staff that GHG emissions must be reduced — this is not a realistic goal. In public relations, one has to be objective and
selective, and this is how you discover whom to target.
The best way to be objective and selective is to analyze the cause and see how it best fits with your
potential audiences interests and activities. For instance, look into Beloit’s different academic disciplines, clubs, and societies. In the case of reducing GHG emissions to combat climate change, take
into account the environmental and economic benefits and the social and international impacts.
Before you know it, you’ll be ready to aim your message at your target audiences.
Setting Goals (continued)
This brings up an important point. Make sure that your campaign and cause do not simply drizzle away when a few strategic planners move on. Constantly be thinking of recruitment. Hint: Try focusing on first-year students, all of who have a
good four years of studies ahead of them (see Recruiting Campaigners, page 24).
Bikes are the most energy-efficient mode of transportation ever invented, in terms of energy consumed and distance traveled.
Page 21
Marketing the Message - Tools, Places & Stunts
After you have figured out a campaign’s goals, message, and target audience(s), the core marketing
strategies come in. Try to think of marketing as grabbing -- grabbing attention. In order to grab attention, a campaign must be equipped with tools, must be aware of places, and must know how to
enact stunts.
Marketing Tools:
How many times have you come across a bulletin board, side-walk or bathroom stall, swarming in
flyers? Did you read all of them? Did you ignore all of them? Or, did you notice one particular flyer?
Unless you had a lot of time on your hands, you probably did not read all of them. Unless you had
no time to spare, you probably didn’t ignore all of them. Most likely, your glance gazed upon a single flyer in the whole mess of them. And, whether or not you took heed of the flyer’s message, the
marketing of that message was achieved. Your attention was grabbed.
However, flyers are the most common marketing tool, and often the least effective. After all, out of
the numerous flyers posted, usually only one or two have their message noticed. When conducting
a campaign, one must be aware of all the marketing tools available. In addition to traditional flyers
and table tents, here are just a few marketing tools available at Beloit:
- Email and list-serves
- Solicitor phone calls/messages on answering machines
- Petitions/tabling
- Computer screen savers
- Classroom chalkboards
- Sidewalk chalking s
- In the winter, snow paint and sculptures
- Bookmarks and booklists
- Mail inserts (careful though, do not want to waste paper — practice what you preach)
- Buttons (you can purchase a button machine, or even get one donated)
- Publications (Round Table, The Weekly, Beloit Magazine, Pocket Lint, Beloit Daily News etc.)
- Talk Beloit web-site
- Public Access Television and WBCR
- Camcorder equipment at library
- T-shirts (bright, bold colors are great attention grabbers)
Yet another marketing tool, and most often taken for granted, is word of mouth. Try developing
what is known as an “elevator speech,” which is a one to three minute explanation of your cause.
Have campaigners learn this speech to the tee, and present it at every possible outlet, whether it be
to friends, clubs, classmates, or random people at dinner tables.
Be CREATIVE and ORIGINAL with what ever marketing tools you choose to utilize. Even an ashtray
could be used as a marketing tool! Think of how many people make eye contact with ashtrays everyday, let alone every hour. And, how about going beyond the traditional mail insert, and inserting
marketing material into a student’s payroll check envelope! No chance of someone disregarding
that particular piece of mail as junk-mail.
This brings up a final point. When using marketing tools, always consider the finest details of the
display of the tool. Take flyers for instance. Why is the ‘Stall Street Journal’ so effective? One reason
is its strategic placement at eye-level. It is displayed for the viewer’s convenience. Even the reading
of the flyer is made convenient, for the columns of events are not baffling to the eyes.
Just the increase in U.S. emissions during the last decade, all by itself, ranks as the 7th largest source of CO2 in the world.
Page 22
Marketing Places:
Knowing the tools to use to grab your target audience’s attention is an important step in marketing
your message, but knowing where to utilize these tools is just as essential. Just like in real estate,
location, location, location must be taken into account. In addition to marketing the message in the
traditional places of interest around campus, try being innovative, and use marketing tools EVERYWHERE. Infiltrate your target audiences with the message at marketing places. Here are a few marketing places for your campaign:
- Club meetings
- RA Issue Group meetings
- Student Government meetings
- Luncheons with Trustees
- Bathrooms, kitchens, laundry rooms, lounges
- Hales Art Gallery
- Mail-center
- ITS and other computer labs
- Library and museum(s) display cases
- Bookstore and C-Store
- Java Joint and Uncommon Grounds
- Commons and DK’s
- The Wall
- Poetry Garden
- Courtyards/quads
- The Mounds
- Festivals and fairs (i.e. Folk’n Blues, Student Activities Fair, International Fair, FAC’s Expo Fair, Spring Day, etc.)
Marketing Stunts:
Once one has identified marketing tools and marketing places, one is prepared to create marketing
stunts — the real attention-grabbers. Stunts are a simple combination of marketing tools, places, and
creativity. Remember the equation: tools + places + creativity = stunts. While some stunts may be as
simple as free bookmarks at the library’s check-out counter, others can be more interactive and border on the “wild” side.
Marketing stunts are the main fuel to a campaign, for they are the medium of the message. And,
just like good’ole gasoline, the higher a stunt’s quality, the better the mileage of the message. Listed
on the remainder of this page are a few marketing stunts that could be enacted on our campus:
- Get professors to present a 3-minute “elevator speech” to each of their classes
o FYI professors would be especially helpful to target, since first-year students are fresh to
new ideas and have a full four years ahead of them at Beloit
- ‘”Free” bookmarks @ bookstore checkout (during book sale days) and library
- Label appliances with their GHG emissions, and their energy-efficient alternative
- Give out phony gas-guzzling tickets to SUVs and phony awards to bicycles
- Conduct waste display at Commons by piling ALL the thrown-out food on ONE table
- Conduct waste display at D.K.’s by piling ALL thrown-out utensils and plates on ONE table
- Display an eco-theme on “global warming’” and GHG emissions in Hales Art Gallery
- Create a competition amongst the dorms and special interest houses for “energyefficiency” with book/food discounts as prize
- Sponsor trips to the Farmer’s Market by foot for local produce and no CO2 emissions
- Give out ‘eco’ book-lists at staff/faculty conferences, in hopes their classes will read them
- Coordinate poetry readings, street theater and puppetry productions addressing the campaign’s message
- Host a theme costume party with decorative art such as the greenhouse gas effect model
- Have a theme bike-parade through campus grounds, with floats, candy, and the whole she-bang
- On a hot, muggy day, have an old fashioned wash-by-hand clothing day in the Quad
- On a cold, snowy day set up a tropical display outside Pearson’s, protesting global warming in Beloit
An energy-efficient showerhead can save an average of $.027 each day on water bills and $0.51 on electricity.
Page 23
(Marketing the Message continued)
Once a message and target-audience have been defined, the marketing tools, places and stunts laid
out are just the beginnings to a strategic marketing campaign. It is your duty as a campaigner to go
“the extra mile.”
Remember marketing = attention-grabbing. Be creative, innovative, and even excessive! REACH out
there, and PULL’em in. Beloit College prides itself in being a “liberal-arts” college. Be liberal! Be artsy!
There is little chance of ever going overboard with a marketing stunt. After all, even if a stunt turns
out to be a complete disaster, that “disaster” will gain recognition, and your message will be
grabbed simultaneously. However, be careful here. If something that is counter to your message inconveniently occurs, this could cause loss to the campaign’s credibility.
While brainstorming for marketing ideas, make use of campus networking, discussed in the ACTION
PLAN. The Additional Helpful Resources and Bibliography sections of this booklet also list places to
be in touch with, and make sure to check out Key Campus Contacts below.
Key Campus Contacts
As pointed out in The ACTION PLAN, networking is a key factor to gaining information, and fulfilling accomplishments. Just as it is important to network with fellow campuses, it is even more important to network with those on our own campus. Do not be shy about utilizing our most important informational resource — Beloit College. Included here are just a few of the faculty that would
be of great assistance to the GHG reduction campaign. In addition, it would be wise to contact
academic Department Heads (listed in the Student Handbook), whom could further reference you
to faculty and staff engaged and/or interested in the issue.
References for environmental issues:
- Marion Fass, biology
- Lee Fishman, English
- John Greenler, biology
- Robin Greenler, biology
- Yaffa L. Grossman, biology
- Nancy Krasko, anthropology
- George C. Lisensky, chemistry
- Carol Mankiewicz, biology/geology
- Nancy McDowell, anthropology
- Carl V. Mendelson, geology
- Warren Palmer, economics
- Brock Spencer, chemistry
- Susan K. Swanson, geology
References for marketing issues:
- Shawn Gillen, English
- Mark Klassen, art
- David Knutson, communications/broadcasting
- Emil Kreider, economics
- Tom McBride, English/FYI coordinator
- Catherine Orr, women's studies
- Amy Sarno, theatre/communications
- George Williams, art
~665,000 tons of glass recycled in the UK last year saved enough energy to power every primary school in the UK for a year!
Page 24
Recruiting Campaigners
Marketing the message and targeting audiences is not a small job and
cannot be done alone. However, a small group of people can accomplish a great deal. Start off with your campaign small, and it will expand in good time. The process of expansion should be ongoing
throughout a campaign. In other words, “recruitment” should be continuous.
Every group needs to recruit, no matter what their stage of development and no matter what time
of the school year. Build the process of recruitment into the campaign’s goals. Enact recruitment
during marketing stunts. Continually be thinking about the progression of the campaign and whom
are going to be the progressing campaigners.
There are two main types of recruitment, mass recruitment and one-on-one recruitment. The former
reaches out to a large number of people at once by creating visibility of the campaign. Some examples of this would be Beloit College’s annual Students Activities Fair, classroom presentations, and
tabling at Commons. In contrast, the latter reaches out to individual students by making personal
connections. For instance, sitting down with people at the Java Joint face-to-face and filling them in
on the GHG scoop would be effective one-on-one recruitment.
Make it a habit to always ask the question, “why do people join campaigns?” A few reasons might
be: personal interest in an issue, professional and academic development, power and control, companionship, and self-expression. Once there is a clear idea as to why people join, there will be clear
ideas as to how to get people to join. Be CREATIVE, use your IMAGINATION, it is A.O.K. to make assumptions about people and their interests.
Once a group of campaigners has been established, there are four basic steps to maintaining the
group: ask, thank, inform and involve. Ask members to take responsibility for particular tasks, and
don’t rely on them to ask you. Thank members continually and fully appreciate everyone's commitment and contributions. Inform members of the various opportunities available in the campaign organizing process, and forever be talking about what needs to be accomplished. Finally, involve
members by matching up their skills and interests with applicable tasks, and most importantly involve members in the campaign planning processes through interactive discussions.
The Top Target
Although it is important to reach out to all of your target audiences, there should always be a top target prioritized
in your list of goals. When it comes down to it, the “who,” “they” and “them” that can truly initiate GHG reductions at
Beloit are those who control the policies and work with the finances.
Make it a main priority of your campaign to keep the administration aware of your goals and actions. Make your message clear to them, and perhaps even personalize the message for them. Make individual connections through emails, calls,
and appointments. Make yourself and your cause known by name.
Administrators are not the only ones with power and finances. Contributing alumni and trustees are definite top-targetaudience material. Beloit highly respects alumni concerns and recommendations and has followed through with trustees’
wishes in the past. Get in touch with an alumna/alumnae whom may have studied disciplines at Beloit that correlate with
your campaign. (Beloit’s Alumni Catalog lists alumni by profession, and provides contact information.) Attend one of Beloit’s
numerous luncheons with trustees, and present your campaign’s goals and message to them. Communicate with individuals. By making such connections, you may even come upon a benefactor for your campaign.
Buying food locally supports your community’s economy and reduces unnecessary CO2 emissions from food transportation.
Page 25
Sample Press Release
Letterhead paper,
or group’s name
and logo
Release date, and
contact person(s)
Headline, which
summarizes the
news
Bells Campus Greens
(& logo)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 31, 2002
Contact: Mary Sue Snickers
608-363-0000
Reducing Greenhouse Gases
on Bells College’s Campus:
Students, Faculty, Staff and Administration Join Forces
Lead paragraph
answers the who,
what, where,
when, and why
BELLS, WI — The entire campus body of Bells College, from students to the
board of directors, has dedicated itself to the reduction of greenhouse
gas emissions on campus. Over the next decade, the College will implement environmentally-friendly initiatives ranging from energy-efficient
light bulbs to the planting of more trees on campus grounds.
Second
paragraph
contains quote(s)
“We feel that climate change is a serious global issue, and that greenhouse gases must be reduced worldwide,” said Bells’ President Darrow.
“As a college that represents international values and beliefs, reducing
GHGs on campus is has local benefits and is a global contribution.”
Body explains the
common issue at
hand; can be
more than one
paragraph
Greenhouse gases (GHGs) are various chemical compounds in the Earth’s
atmosphere that permit sunlight to enter the atmosphere unimpeded.
When sunlight strikes the Earth’s surface, some of it is reflected as infrared radiation (heat). This heat is absorbed and reflected by greenhouse
gases and the heat becomes entrapped in the earth’s atmosphere. In consequence, the earth warms up. This is known as the ‘”greenhouse effect”’
and is a root cause of climate change.
concisely
Conclusion may
site origins of
story, and cites a
source for follow
up information
### signifies end
Bells Campus Greens, a special-interest group of college students, began
campaigning for GHG reductions exactly one year ago, by informing the
campus body of ecological and economical reasons to combat climate
change, and implementing programs for doing so.
For more information on Bells Campus Greens, and Bells GHG Reduction
Initiative, see www.bellsgreens/GHG.org/
###
More than 50% of heat lost from a building is through loft spaces and walls. By installing 20 c.m. thick insulation in
a loft you can save ~20% of the heating costs, while cavity wall insulation can cut heat loss up to 60%.
Page 26
Additional
Helpful
Resources
P
rovided in the following pages are resources related to climate
change, GHG reductions, energy-efficiency, and so forth. The citations are listed alphabetically. This section is entitled “additional” due to
the sprinkling of contact and networking information in previous sections, and also in the Bibliography. In attempt to conserve space and paper, citations for a resource are only made once throughout the booklet.
Page 27
Environmental Organizations
Alliance To Save Energy - www.ase.org
The Alliance promotes energy efficiency worldwide to achieve a healthier economy, a cleaner environment and energy security. It is a non-profit coalition of business, government, environmental and consumer leaders that support
energy efficiency as a cost-effective energy resource under existing market conditions. It advocates energy efficiency
policies that minimize costs to society and individual consumers, and that lessen GHG emissions and their impact on
the global climate.
Association of University Leaders for a Sustainable Future (ULSF) -
http://www.ulsf.org/resources_ghesp.html
ULSF’s mission is to make sustainability a major focus of teaching, research, operations and outreach at colleges and
universities worldwide. It pursues this mission through advocacy, education, research, assessment, membership support, and international partnerships to advance education for sustainability. Over 275 university presidents and chancellors in more than 40 countries have signed a declaration promoted by the ULSF, and incorporated a ten-point action plan that commits their institution to sustainability and environmental literacy in teaching and practice.
Clean Energy Now! - http://www.cleanenergynow.org/cleanenergynow/
A Greenpeace campaign, Clean Energy Now! is committed to increasing clean energy solutions required to meet the
challenges of climate change. Greenpeace understands that without leadership in Washington D.C., the movement
on climate change must come from local municipalities, cities, and states. By using grassroots organizing, political persuasion, and non-violent direct action, the Greenpeace Clean Energy Now! campaign pushes utilities, politicians and
other decision-makers to commit to clean energy.
The Greenhouse Network - greenhousenet.org/
This Network is the only nationally oriented non-profit organization with the sole focus on building a grassroots
movement to stop global warming pollution. They conduct a Climate Education Project comprised of: training sessions; a national volunteer speakers network; an international youth speakers network; a college climate response
initiative; and a campus to community program.
Jatun Sacha Foundation and the Callari Cooperative - www.callaricrafts.com
Judy Logback, class of ‘95, founded Jatun Sacha and serves as a critical link between Amazon craftspeople and their
foreign markets. The non-profit organization aids in the preservation of the rainforest by encouraging natives to sell
crafts to tourists and abroad, and not participate in agricultural practices that cause massive deforestation.
Rainforest Action Network (RAN) - http://www.ran.org/
RAN works to protect the Earth's rainforests and supports the rights of their inhabitants through education, grassroots organizing, and nonviolent direct action. As a non-profit organization, RAN works in alliance with environmental and human rights groups around the world, including indigenous forest communities and non-governmental
organizations in rainforest countries. By protecting rainforests, RAN is a major combater against global warming.
RENEW Wisconsin - http://www.renewwisconsin.org/about/who.html
RENEW is a non-profit headquartered in Madison, which provides a network for clean energy businesses, educators,
utility managers, builders, farmers, state agency officials, environmental advocates, and concerned citizens in Wisconsin. Their mission is to promote clean energy strategies — conservation and energy efficiency, renewable energy, and
low--emission distributed generation — for powering the state's economy in an environmentally sound manner.
Second Nature (SN) - http://www.secondnature.org/
A national organization, SN offers colleges and universities a range of programs, training sessions, one-on-one consulting and online resources to make the integration of environmental sustainability thinking "second nature" to
higher education. In addition, Second Nature's Resource Center, originally known as Starfish, provides an extensive
database of syllabi for courses that address environmental themes.
Bottled water is sold up to 1,000 times the price, and energy is wasted In the bottling, packaging and transportation process.
Page 28
Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) - www.ucsusa.org/
A nonprofit partnership of scientists and citizens, addressing issues ranging from antibiotic resistance to missile defense, UCS is working to bring sound scientific information to policymakers and the public about global warming, its
impact, and available practical solutions. Working to create Congressional support for ratification of the Kyoto climate
treaty, UCS advocates for policies that will combat global warming over the long term, such as clean cars that run on
alternative fuels, environmentally responsible renewable energy technologies, and stopping clear-cutting of forests.
U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) - http://www.usgbc.org/
The USGBC is the nation's foremost coalition of leaders from across the building industry working to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable, and healthy places to live and work. Council members are leading a national consensus for producing a new generation of buildings that deliver high performance inside and out.
Members work together to develop design guidelines, policy positions, educational tools, and industry standards—
including the LEED™ Rating System — that support the adoption of sustainable design and building practices.
U.S. Public Interest Research Group (US PIRG) - http://www.uspirg.org/
U.S. PIRG is a national non-profit, non-partisan research and advocacy organization with a staff of attorneys, scientists,
and other professionals who monitor government and corporate decisions and advocate on the public's behalf. Environmental issues are perhaps the most widely addressed issues by PIRG, and encyclopedic-type research and reports
on global warming can be provided by PIRG. U.S. PIRG will also provide a direct link to the State of Wisconsin’s PIRG.
Wisconsin’s Environmental Initiative (WIE) - http://www.wi-ei.org/
Non-profit and non-partisan, WIE is an educational organization that facilitates dialogue and collaboration among
diverse stakeholders on environmental issues, with a goal of producing outcomes that benefit Wisconsin’s environment, economy, and quality of life. WIE hosts a number of activities pertaining to environmental issues, such as forums and workshops, and serves as a catalyst for cooperation among businesses, citizen groups, and government.
Wisconsin’s Environmental Decade - http://www.wienvdecade.org/
A non-profit concentrated in southern Wisconsin, the Decade’s mission is to protect the environment and preserve
the quality of life in Wisconsin through the enactment of progressive public policies, the enforcement of laws, and the
active participation of people. Through broad-based coalitions that include conservationists, sporting groups, businesses, labor and health groups, the Decade strives to preserve and improve environmental quality for all who call
Wisconsin home. In addition, the Decade is conducting an ongoing campaign against climate change.
Recommended Books and Guides
Brower, Michael and Warren Leon. The Union of Concerned Scientists Consumer’s Guide to Effective Environmental
Action. New York: Three Rivers Press, 1999. This volume helps consumers distinguish between which goods and services have major environmental consequences and which ones have trivial impacts.
Berger, John. Charging Ahead: The Business of Renewable Energy and What It Means for America. New York: Henry
Holt and Company, 1997. This is an easy-to-read survey of who is doing what in the renewable energy field.
Geller, Howard, Stephen Bernow, and William Dougherty. Meeting America’s Kyoto Protocol Target: Policies and Impacts. Washington, D.C.: American Council for an Energy–Efficient Economy and the Tellus Institute, 1999. This is one
of the best studies about how to reach Kyoto standards.
Hertsgaard, Mark. Earth Odyssey. New York: Broadway Books, 1998. The author spent a decade traveling around the
world to observe many of the most serious environmental crises of our time. He brings thoughtful insights to a wide
range of issues, including climate change, nuclear power, and the spread of the automobile around the world.
Schneider, Stephen, Editor-in-Chief. Encyclopedia of Climate and Weather. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996.
This is the first source book to turn to for everything you might want to know about climate.
Wilson, Alex and Jennifer Thorne, and Jogn Morrill. Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings. Washington, D.C.:
American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, 1999. Excellent annual guide to energy-efficient products.
It takes ~1.6 million tons of plastic to bottle water annually, and 1/4 of the bottles are consumed outside its country of origin.
Page 29
Bibliography
Books and Pamphlets Read
Daily, Gretchen C. and Katherine Ellison. The New Economy of Nature: The Quest to Make Conservation Profitable. Shearwater Books, Washington, DC, 2002. Addressing earth’s ecosystems as our economic system, Gretchen Daily, a world renown ecologist, and Katherin Ellison, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, shed a new light onto how one views the natural world. This book analyzes the destruction of natural resources, and the potential profits to be had by protecting them.
Gelbspan, Ross. The Heat Is On: The Climate Crisis, The Cover-Up, The Prescription. Updated Edition.
Perseus Books, Massachusetts, 1998. At the climate change conference Carol Mankiewicz and I attended, we had an opportunity to hear Ross Gelbspan lecture. He was perhaps one of the most persuasive
speakers I have ever come across, and I can say the same about his book — a definite must-read for anyone
interested in climate change and/or politics.
Go Mad! Go Make A Difference: 365 Daily Ways to Save the Planet. Edited and complied by The
Ecologist and sponsored by Friends Provident and The Body Shop. Think Publishing, London, 2000.
The majority of tid-bits at the bottom of the pages in this booklet can be accredited to this handy little
guide, which I received with a subscription to The Ecologist — a magazine I highly recommend to all interested in the environment and the economy.
Hayes, Denis. The Official Earth Day Guide to Planet Repair. Island Press, 2000 by Earth Day Foundation. Written in an appealing first-person voice, this book not only provided me with fun facts for this booklet, but has aided in personal alterations in my own lifestyle.
Valerie Denney Communications. Making News: Insider’s Guide to Strategic Media Relations. 2002.
Picking it up at a conference I attended in the spring, this little pamphlet was very helpful in my explanation of how to market a campaign’s “message.”
Conferences and Workshops Attended
Action Media: Marketing Workshop. April 2002. Action Media is a national public relations firm, and its
founders, Dick Brooks and Michael Goldberg, hosted this media workshop at Columbia University in Chicago. Attending the workshop with a few fellow co-workers, it was here that I learned of the “Strategy
Questions” one must ask themselves while conducting a marketing campaign.
Environmental Law and Policy Center (ELPC): Public Relations Conference, How to Run a Strategic
Transportation Campaign. May 2002. While interning for ELPC, as a graphics designer and researcher, I
had an opportunity to attend this day conference. Not only did I get to hear a communications expert present her personal guide to marketing, but I also heard a director from the group SUSTAIN (an environmental public relations organization in Chicago) speak. I went away from this conference with materials,
references, and networking connections.
One hectare of woodland grown to maturity will absorb the CO2 emissions of 100 average family cars driven for one year,
and one large beech tree can provide enough oxygen for the daily requirement of ten people.
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Illinois Student Environmental Network: Central Regional Training, Protecting Our Rivers From Industrial Agriculture. Bloomington, IL. October 2002. Attending this conference with three other Beloit
students, I had the opportunity to meet with fellow students from many Midwestern universities. Each of
us had interests in environmental issues on our campuses, and it was great to share ideas ranging from
marketing stunts to ecological initiatives. The workshop was also attended by a number of representatives
from environmental organizations. Listening to their presentations was very applicable to my studies, along
with the connections that I made with them prior to their speeches.
College Climate Response Conference. Lewis & Clark College. Portland, OR. February 2002. This is
where my special project all began. It was here that the threat of climate change struck me as a reality, and
motivated me to do something about it. The conference exposed me to vast networking systems and organizations working on all levels for the same cause. While at the conference, I learned that I too could be
a participant in the world-wide movement against climate change.
Miscellaneous
Brooks, Dick. Action Media. Interviewed on Oct. 18, 2002. One perk I gained from attending the Action
Media workshop back in April was a free media consulting appointment. I made sure to hang onto that
coupon, and put it to use while in the midst of designing this booklet. Dick’s guidance and suggestions
were a definite asset to the final product.
EPA’s State & Local Climate Outreach Kit. United States EPA, Office of Air and Radiation. March,
2000. This CD-ROM is perhaps one of the most resourceful resources I have yet to come across. It provides
vast amounts of climate change material in a variety of formats, from PowerPoint to fact-sheets. The best
thing is, it is FREE!
Hemp produces up to four times more pulp per acre than timber, and also produces higher quality paper. In addition,
hemp pulp recycles more times than wood pulp, and does not need intensive herbicide and pesticide applications.
The environment is not something “out there.”
We eat the environment. We drink the environment.
We breathe the environment. We are part of the environment, and it is a part of us.
We cannot destroy the environment without destroying ourselves.
- David Hayes, CEO of Earth DayThere is no progress, with out struggle.
- Fredrick Douglass Anyone who doesn’t think one person can make a difference,
obviously hasn’t been in bed with a mosquito.
- Anonymous -
A Special Project by Shelby Laubhan
Beloit College
700 College St.
Beloit, WI. 53511