By: Naina Waghray The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) is an association that was formed to strengthen sustainability efforts on college campuses. The association is well known for its rating system, The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System, better known as STARS. It was created to qualify what an institution is doing to promote sustainability across all sectors, and …
24/7 Clean Electricity and Scope 2 Emissions
By: Naina Waghray In our last issue of Climate 101, we discussed scope 1 emissions and their significance at Rutgers. In this issue, we will take a deeper look at scope 2 emissions and clean electricity. Put simply, scope 2 emissions are the indirect emissions that are associated with the purchase of electricity or steam for lighting, heating, cooling, etc (EPA). Unlike …
Scope 1: Reducing Direct Emissions on Campus
By: Naina Waghray In the October 2022 issue of the Climate 101, we covered the basics of Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions classifications, and what each one encompasses here at Rutgers. This month, we will take a deeper look at scope 1 carbon emissions, especially those associated with buildings. Scope 1 emissions account for “direct greenhouse emissions that occur …
Buses, Cars, and Planes- Accounting for Our Transportation Emissions
By: Samantha Donner In the US, transportation produces more greenhouse gas emissions than any other sector, including electricity and agriculture. In a study done by the Environmental Protection Agency transportation alone accounts for 27% of all CO2 emissions, which primarily come from cars, trucks, ships, planes, and trains. Road travel, by cars, buses, and trucks, accounts for 74.5% of those transportation emissions. Similarly, in NJ transportation accounted for …
Food Consumption and Waste: Holiday Edition
By: Kelly Vaz Lima A major issue throughout the holidays is waste. “Over 70 billion pounds of food waste reaches our landfills every year, contributing to methane emissions, wasting energy and resources across the food supply chain” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. According to The Ecology Center, the United States sees a 25% increase in waste between Thanksgiving and New …
Scope 3: Emissions Tracking and Food
By: Andrew Saponara Last month in Climate 101, we discussed the different emission classifications, scopes 1, 2, and 3. Of these, scope 3, which includes commuting, business travel, and food emissions, is the most difficult to track. Tracking emissions is crucial in helping Rutgers meet its climate goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2040. It will assess how much progress …
Classifying Carbon Emissions: Scopes 1, 2, and 3
By: Katie Parrish In the September edition of Climate 101, we discussed Rutgers’ commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2040. The first step in doing this is determining which emissions are attributed to Rutgers and how to track them. Greenhouse gas accounting uses the concept of ‘scopes’ to help organizations understand their emissions. There are three scopes, or level of …
What Is Carbon Neutrality and What Does It Mean for Rutgers?
By: Stella Campbell A recent poll from the Morning Consult found that most adults in the U.S. don’t know what the term “carbon neutral” means, and only 45% of self-identified environmentalists were able to correctly identify the exact meaning of the phrase. With Rutgers committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2040 and becoming carbon-negative (removing more carbon dioxide than we are putting into …