Colby | Environmental Studies | Campus Sustainability

See other Colby sustainability initiatives on the Green Colby pages.

Light Bulb Exchange

In an effort to reduce campus energy use, the Environmental Studies Program, in collaboration with the Vice President for Administration Doug Terp, has distributed dozens of compact fluorescent light bulbs to over 100 faculty and staff in exchange for their energy inefficient, incandescent bulbs. These compact fluorescent bulbs are 66% more energy efficient and will last 12,000 hours, saving both energy and money!

Energy Management Forum

On Saturday, May 6 the ES Program and the Goldfarb Center hosted an Energy Management Forum for teams from area high schools and middle schools to help young people cultivate responsible attitudes toward energy use over the long term. Jennifer Andersen from the Natural Resources Council of Maine kicked off the event with information and activities teaching students about advocating for green energy. Peter Zack and Jeremy DuBois from MEEP (Maine Energy Education Program) then led the students through hands on lessons that educated the students about the effects of energy consumption on the environment and the connection to global climate change. Members of the Green House toured students through our model dorm room and talked with the students about leading a sustainable lifestyle. Each team shared an energy project that they had been working on -- including a solar car! This event was made possible from generous funds from the Kendall Foundation.

Food Waste Survey

Food waste is an issue on many college campuses and Colby is no exception. The ES Club has been working to gauge how much food we are actually wasting by conducting a biannual FOOD WASTE SURVEY.
During Sustainability Month and Earth Week this year, the ES Club weighed the food waste of willing participants in the Dana dining hall. The average person left66.69g (approximately 0.147 lbs) of food on their plate.
The good news:

This number is down from the fall
15 out of 55 had clean plates

The bad news:
If 500 students eat lunch at Dana, that is 73.5 lbs of food wasted from one meal.

Colby environmental studies and biology majors, including Cait Cleaver, Elizabeth Turner, Elisabeth Chiniara, and Sarah Kelly contributed time during September to a statewide effort to tax bottled water extracted from Maine. These and other Colby students gathered approximately 450 signatures on campus and around the Waterville community. H2O for Maine, the organization spearheading the petition drive, collected over 50,000 signatures supporting the proposed referendum. The referendum asks that Nestle Corporation, which recently bought out Poland Springs, be taxed a few cents on every bottle of water they extract from Maine. This money will be placed in a water dividend trust, which will fund conservation, small business loans, and other local efforts. The referendum also stipulates that Nestle have an independent monitor to ensure that groundwater is extracted in a sustainable manner. If the petition signatures are verified, the referendum will appear on the ballot in 2006. For more information visit: http://www.waterdividendtrust.com/

The Green House Gas Emissions Inventory was created to give Colby an overall sense of its consumption and emissions trends. We are making this data available to the public and other institutions in order to help others in reaching their emission targets and to continue as leaders in the effort to reach the region's voluntary greenhouse gas emission reduction goals. The audit report can be viewed at http://www.colby.edu/environ/audit/.

Student Action: The Climate Campaign

Following on the heels of the New England Climate Conference held at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA - February 20 - 22, 2004, several students took the initiative to organize the Maine Chapter of the Climate Campaign (a larger national movement that seeks to link colleges and universities across the country.) Along with student leaders from Bates, Bowdoin, Unity, USM and UMF, ES students at Colby helped to organize two state-wide conferences for the Campaign this spring. Part of the initiative has been dedicated to sharing information and accountability. Members of the Maine Chapter from each school keep each other informed about what's happening at their respective schools on issues such as green energy and other climate-friendly policies and strategies. Together they are developing a report card to judge all Maine schools based on their climate-friendly projects: purchasing green energy, composting, green buildings, and others. With assistance from a full-time organizer from Envirocitizen, students involved with the ME Climate Campaign have received training for various skills such as voter registration.

Environmental Attitudes Student Survey

Kate Ennis ('04) and Sarah Becker ('06), Environmental Studies Campus 'greening' is a fast growing aspect of college student concerns across the country. At Colby, greening the campus and educating students about environmental issues is quickly becoming a priority. A survey of student environmental attitudes was designed to understand and inform Colby students about their everyday actions and guide new research projects as well as new campus-wide, environmental initiatives. The online survey was available for students to take for about two months. The survey indicates that of the 533 students who participated, 76% feel they are moderately or very aware of general environmental issues on campus. 77% of students feel that it is easy for students to engage in environmental practices, however 66% do not believe that environmental practices are well observed at Colby. While 75% of students say they recycle, only 46% feel that Colby's recycling program is effective. 38% of students believe that wasting electricity is the worst environmental practice observed at Colby. 91% of students frequently or always see food being wasted in the dining halls. The survey also indicates that most students feel strongly about the types of food served in the dining halls. For example, 68% of the students believe it is important that Colby's dining services purchase meat and dairy products free of growth hormones, 70% of students believe that it is important for Colby's dining services to purchase food locally, and 82% of students believe that it is important for Colby's dining services to serve fish and shellfish that are caught in sustainable ways. The results and analysis of this survey will help to guide future environmental actions at Colby undertaken by the Environmental Advisory Group (EAG), the Physical Plant Department, Dining Services, and others.

After studying similar energy conservation projects at Bowdoin, Tufts and Middlebury, environmental studies major Brian Kittler '04 initiated a pilot competition this spring in the Alfond Residential Complex. Kittler, a resident of the Apartments, chose Alfond in part because each apartment is individually metered and electrical use data are compiled hourly. Additionally, common areas were metered separately so there would be no incentive to tamper with hall lighting, exit signs, or other safety equipment. After collecting a week's worth of baseline information for each apartment, Kittler began to advertise the competition including the prize: a $50 gift certificate to a popular local restaurant. By taking advantage of the Complex-wide email digest, Kittler was able to explain the rules, incentives and dates to all residents effectively and efficiently. Participation in the competition was completely voluntary and the winner was determined by the greatest percent decrease in use compared to the baseline week prior to the competition. Halfway through the two week competition, Kittler emailed the students living in each apartment to disclose their electricity consumption data for the first week. At the end of two weeks, the apartment with the largest sustained consumption decrease won. The winning apartment reduced consumption by 81.97% averaging 1.46 Kw/hr during the competition. Overall, 9 of the 21 apartments cut back consumption by 25% or more and 3 apartments achieved decreases in excess of 50%. Kittler continued to collect and disclose usage data for several apartments after the competition to chart the effects of the two week event and found some persisting reductions despite the elimination of the incentive. This two week voluntary competition saved the college over $100 in electricity expenses and created a successful precedent for future, expanded electricity consumption competitions.

This guide was developed by Jessica Kellett '04 as a January independent study project and was sponsored by the Environmental Studies Program, Dean of Students Office, and the Environmental Advisory Group. The purchases and lifestyle choices made by Colby students affect Colby's environmental footprint and the total energy and resources used on campus. The goals of this document are to promote environmental stewardship and awareness among Colby students. Students are encouraged to consider the potential impacts of each purchase they make as they furnish their dorm rooms. Students should consider purchasing communal appliances and using appliances and supplies already made available for their use in dorm rooms and on campus. For additional information on Colby's campus greening initiatives see the EAG website. Go to the Guide now.