Spring Break
Independent study course calculates carbon footprint
Professor, students, aid Chancellor with plans for climate commitment by Aug.
Breann Schossow
Issue date: 2/21/08 Section: News
As of January, 478 colleges and universities have signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, biology professor Kristina Beuning said.
UW-Eau Claire is one of them, with Chancellor Brian Levin-Stankevich signing the commitment in August 2007. By doing so, Levin-Stankevich agreed to create a plan for the university that would ultimately allow it to become carbon neutral. Beauning said.
To adhere to the commitment and formulate a carbon-neutral plan, Beuning said the chancellor created a five-member advisory board, composed of faculty members, and also created a multidisciplinary initiative that allowed students to collect data from the university.
"The chancellor felt that it should be student led," Beuning said of the student initiative.
Carbon Inventory, an independent study course, includes 10 students from eight different disciplines. The students collect data to determine the size of the university's carbon footprint, the measure of the impact of human activities on the Earth.
Junior Robyn Fennig said Beuning's position in the course is important because she helps the class get in contact with necessary campus officials such as Grounds and Maintenance, Housing and Residence Life and people in the community. Fennig also said Beuning assists the students with the Web survey and acts as an intermediary between the chancellor, administration and the team.
Fennig, an economics major, said she feels that by signing the carbon initiative, the university is giving global warming more attention.
"I think it's a good way to show that our university is committed," she said.
The class is made up of four groups which calculate the carbon footprint of the university: energy, waste and chemicals, transportation and offsets, Beuning said.
The energy group studies all energy on campus, such as heating, cooling and light systems and whether they are run on propane, natural gas or electricity, she said. She said the waste and chemicals group calculates how much carbon the university transmits.
UW-Eau Claire is one of them, with Chancellor Brian Levin-Stankevich signing the commitment in August 2007. By doing so, Levin-Stankevich agreed to create a plan for the university that would ultimately allow it to become carbon neutral. Beauning said.
To adhere to the commitment and formulate a carbon-neutral plan, Beuning said the chancellor created a five-member advisory board, composed of faculty members, and also created a multidisciplinary initiative that allowed students to collect data from the university.
"The chancellor felt that it should be student led," Beuning said of the student initiative.
Carbon Inventory, an independent study course, includes 10 students from eight different disciplines. The students collect data to determine the size of the university's carbon footprint, the measure of the impact of human activities on the Earth.
Junior Robyn Fennig said Beuning's position in the course is important because she helps the class get in contact with necessary campus officials such as Grounds and Maintenance, Housing and Residence Life and people in the community. Fennig also said Beuning assists the students with the Web survey and acts as an intermediary between the chancellor, administration and the team.
Fennig, an economics major, said she feels that by signing the carbon initiative, the university is giving global warming more attention.
"I think it's a good way to show that our university is committed," she said.
The class is made up of four groups which calculate the carbon footprint of the university: energy, waste and chemicals, transportation and offsets, Beuning said.
The energy group studies all energy on campus, such as heating, cooling and light systems and whether they are run on propane, natural gas or electricity, she said. She said the waste and chemicals group calculates how much carbon the university transmits.
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