Abstract

1. Low-Carbon Study Abroad? A Green House Gas Inventory of an International Education Office Matt Cohen, M.S. Student, Climate Science and Solutions Funded by the Hooper Sustainability Award and administered by the Office of the Vice President for Research. Total Emissions = 2,540.14 MTCO2e • Install utility meters on the office building; manage office energy use. • Track all faculty, staff, and student travel data. • Offer incentives for staff to walk, bike, ride the bus, or carpool to work. • Seek full participation from all CIE staff. • Supplement some non-mandatory staff travel with telecommunications. • Plan travel itineraries to cluster travel and reduce air mileage. • Purchase carbon offsets for all staff/faculty travel. • Build carbon offset fees into faculty-led program costs to students. • Offer carbon offsets to study abroad students. • Faculty, staff, and students should travel by transit whenever possible. • Preliminary Recommendations • Purpose: To study the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of Northern Arizona University’s (NAU) Center for International Education (CIE). • Outcomes: A GHG assessment of CIE operations, recommendations for reducing emissions, educational materials for staff and students to empower them to reduce their personal footprints while abroad. • Why the CIE:The Center for International Education plays an important role in Northern Arizona University’s commitment to carbon neutrality. • High Emitter: Air travel demands make the CIE responsible for disproportionate GHG emissions. • The Global Learning Initiative: The CIE is tying sustainability, diversity, and global engagement into the University curriculum. • Holistic Approach: Connecting climate change mitigation and international education links two less obviously related topics. • Abstract • Is reliance on carbon offsets a sustainable model for GHG reductions? • Does a student studying abroad have a lower carbon footprint than a student studying in Flagstaff, Arizona? • Are students emission’s abroad low enough to offset their air travel? • How can students change behavior abroad to further reduce their footprints? • Do students bring any learned behaviors home that would reduce their footprint in the US? • Questions for Further Study 83.2% of total emissions directly tied to student learning Air travel constituted 96.6% of total emissions • The assessment measures FY 2010/11 GHG emissions related to • Office energy use, • Staff and faculty travel for CIE business, • Student travel for study abroad. • Calculations are based on equations and emission factors from • The Climate Registry’s General Reporting Protocol, • The World Resources Institute’s Employee Commuting Spreadsheet, • The US EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator. • Methodology Equivalent to GHG emissions of 498 passenger vehicles Equivalent to energy use of 317 homes for one year