Why are colleges, in particular, well-positioned to reduce their footprint on the environment?
Colleges and universities are well-positioned to take actions to reduce emissions of climate altering gases because most institutions own and operate their own buildings. Or a government owns the buildings. Building owners can benefit from investments in energy efficiency during their entire operational life through reduced energy costs. Colleges and universities also can experiment and innovate, not only in the realm of technology but also in social systems. Q: What is the main misconception about what it takes to incorporate green practices on a campus? What generally derails plans? A: When people think about reducing heat-trapping gas emissions, they often think about putting wind turbines and photovoltaic panels on campus buildings. For most campuses, these visible commitments to alternative energy are important, but they rarely generate enough reductions to make a huge difference. Large reductions in emissions will come from changing our infrastructure. This includes modifying the
