Paladin Mailbox: The truth about carbon offsets

Furman University has a long standing commitment to sustainability. It is one of the university's strategic goals. At Furman, our commitment to sustainability involves a conscious effort to consider the resource needs of future generations while meeting the needs of the present generation. In other words, promoting sustainable ways of living means being attentive to the needs of our children and grandchildren as well as ourselves. At Furman, sustainability means taking the "long view."Furman is among over 600 colleges and universities in the country that have committed to become carbon neutral at a specified date set by each institution. College and university presidents in all 50 states have signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) (www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org).
A recent Paladin article expressed concerns about the use of offsets in Furman's sustainability efforts. We would like to take this opportunity to clarify what is being considered by the university.

During the 2007-08 academic year, the Sustainability Planning Group collected data on the university's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and made the inventory and report public in September 2008 (see http://acupcc.aashe.org/index.php?page=3).

Furman's Sustainability Planning Group was expanded into the Sustainability Planning Council (SPC) in the Fall of 2008 with broader involvement from the campus community, and is currently developing Furman's Climate Action Plan (CAP) as part of our Climate Commitment. The SPC, and each of its subcommittees, are asked to have continued student representation, involvement and input. The SPC has a committee solely dedicated to assessing carefully offset options.

Through energy conservation and efficiency, renewable fuel sources, technology innovation, and educational programming and learning, we will likely be able to reduce the majority of our GHG emissions. After all other reductions have been made, we can then consider carbon offsets. A carbon offset is a reduction or removal of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that is used to compensate for (or "offset") emissions from other activities. Offset projects reducing GHG emissions outside of an institution's boundary can generate credits to counterbalance emissions the institution cannot eliminate.

Furman's discussion to date has focused on developing offset projects locally. Furman is in discussions with the city of Greenville and Upstate Forever about the possibility of partnerships to develop projects which could provide offsets that could bring benefit to the local environment and economy. Local offset projects could provide exceptional educational and service learning experiences for Furman students. The SPC subcommittee on offsets is studying a variety of possibilities and will recommend those that best align with Furman's mission of engaged learning.

In sum, a range of options are being discussed, and we encourage the entire Furman community's involvement in considering a range of approaches for climate action planning and sustainability efforts. For up to date information on Furman's sustainability program and to find ways you can get involved, please visit our website at www.furman.edu/sustain.

Dr. Bob Fray is the Sustainability Planning Council Offsets Subcommittee Chair and Professor of Mathematics. Dr. Angela Halfacre is the Sustainability Planning Council Co-Chair, the Director of Sustainability and an Associate Professor of Political Science.