Helping Achieve Net-Zero Emissions

Operations is working to help achieve this goal by:

• Implementing more sustainable alternatives for energy within our buildings, including the use of LED light bulbs throughout and new heating and cooling systems with reduced or zero fossil fuel use to help Columbia reach carbon neutrality.

• Continually evaluating energy supplier options to ensure that Columbia is making the smallest environmental impact possible with a focus on zero emissions and renewable sources.

• Creating and implementing energy use reduction strategies and programs and promoting these to the campus community to help support reduced energy consumption.

What we've already accomplished:

• In Columbia’s first sustainability plan, we set a goal of a 35% reduction in absolute emissions related to stationary combustion of fuel and purchased electricity by 2020. We supported Columbia by meeting this goal in 2018 through a combination of fuel switching, energy conservation measures (ECMs), retro-commissioning measures (RCMs), and the purchase of hydropower and Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) that allowed the University to successfully offset 100% of its reported emissions from electricity.
   
• Since 2006, Columbia has seen reductions in absolute emissions, despite an increase of 7% in building square footage within the inventory boundary, and the inclusion of emissions from the transportation sector (commuting, owned or leased fleets and business travel), waste from operations, and fugitive sources such as refrigerants and medical and research gases.
   
• Beginning in 2018 and annually thereafter, Columbia has reported an offset of 100% of brown grid power emissions from electricity with the purchase of renewable energy credits. Columbia was also one of the first Universities in the nation to introduce six all-electric buses into its fleet, reducing annual emissions by over 70%.