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Purdue University: Heading in the Right Direction for

the Environment

Team Boiler Footprint

Stephen Chabot
Steven Tsay
Calvin Lawshe

English 421- White Paper Project-Summer 2009

F. Tobienne, Instructor

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Table of Contents

1. Title Page…………………………………………………………………………..1

2. Table of Contents……………………………………………………………….....2

3. Executive Summary…………………………………………………………….....3

4. Background and Terminology…………………………….…………...……….4-5

5. Statistics.............................................................................................................…...6

6. Other Universities’ Techniques……………………………………………..….7-9

7. Purdue University’s Techniques…….……………………………………....10-11

8. Conclusion…….……………………………………………………………….....12

9. Work Cited…….………………………………………………………………....13

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Executive Summary:
Many people consider global warming to be one of the greatest challenges that we
will face in the years to come. The cause of this is widely considered to be emissions of
carbon dioxide into the atmosphere from the consumption of fossil fuels, so the obvious,
albeit not simple, solution is to reduce the output of carbon dioxide by individuals and
businesses. The overall carbon output by an individual or organization is also referred to as
a carbon footprint, measured in metric tons of carbon (tC). There are other contributors to
the impact that our species has on the environment, such as heavy metal contamination,
pesticides and plastics seeping into the groundwater, and sulfur dioxide emissions that
cause acid rain, but the accumulation of green house gasses in the atmosphere will likely
have the longest lasting effects, so that is currently the area where most of the work is being
done.

In the interest of reducing carbon dioxide emissions governments throughout the

world are encouraging both businesses and individuals to reduce their emissions. Climate
change panels have developed strategies and programs to help reduce emissions both in
short term and the long term. The challenge is to develop strategies that have a minimum
impact on how we live our lives, while at the same time minimizing how much of an impact
our lifestyles have on the environment. Because of the influence that the institutes of higher
learning have on the upcoming generations and the fact that they are large institutions,
there is obviously a large amount of interest in the steps that the universities are taking to
reduce their carbon emissions.

The carbon emissions of universities would be expected to be roughly proportional

to the size of the university and the climate in which the university is located. Because of
the large amount of variation in the size of universities, this report compensates by
calculating the emissions level per capita, instead of simply the total emissions by a
university. The climate is expected to have an impact on the carbon emissions because the
majority of emissions are due to building energy use. Most universities are committed to
reducing their emissions and have implemented their own unique strategies, but the
effectiveness of the strategies varies from university to university. The purpose of this
report is to compare the impact of Purdue’s programs to those of other universities, and
see if there are policies we could adopt from the other universities that would be more
effective than our current policies, and also give Purdue due credit for those areas in which
it is better than the others. So far Purdue is doing fairly well in its efforts. It has
implemented recycling programs, is choosing its fleet vehicles to reduce emissions, and has
committed to making new building meet LEED certification standards. It could do better
in some areas, e.g. the purchasing of green power. Purdue’s efforts to date have been on the
right track and should help ensure the future of our planet.

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Objective:
As globalization makes the world grow smaller it is easy to see that everyone is
affected and that everyone in the world is intertwined one way or another. For example
emissions released anywhere in the world can effect the ozone of any part of the
atmosphere above any country. Because of this world-wide connection between animals,
humans, vegetation, and more generally ecosystems it is no surprise that people and their
communities are making a concerted effort to “go green.” Going green means thinking
about the planet in every action you take, and Purdue University in West Lafayette,
Indiana is doing just that.

Where do we stand in the midst of the “Going Green” movement that is sweeping
our nation, as evidence shows our interactions with the environment can produce long
lasting negative effects? The biggest step everyone is taking is quite simple, conserve the
energy that is being used. In the end, not only can this help reduce our effect on the
environment, but also save a lot of money. We have looked at what other steps universities
have taken in order to help conserve energy and also looked at Purdue’s own steps. Our
goal is to help determine where we stand and then what can we learn from other
universities to improve Purdue even more, or what else can Purdue do to help reduce its
emissions.

Background:
We have chosen to compare Purdue to other universities within our region mainly
due to weather and production of energy. Everyone within the Midwestern region
experiences Winters and Summers, which would mean our universities would have to deal
with the cooling and heating of these buildings at various times of the year,
unlike some universities which are only located in areas of warm Winters or
cool Summers. Also when dealing with sources of electricity, those
universities who receive electricity from a nuclear power-plant would
have a noticeably lower carbon footprint than those powered by
fossil fueled power plants.

*To gauge Purdue’s effect on the environment and along with

other universities, we will be using the size of the universities
reported carbon footprint.

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Carbon Footprint:

A carbon footprint is the amount of carbon dioxide that is released into the air due to
actions that usually involve the use and or production of energy in some way. This is very
true for Indiana due to the fact that 99% of its electricity is produced through the burning
of fossil fuels. 1 Purdue broke down its carbon footprint into these very logical sections:

On-Campus Energy- Any electricity used on campus, this can range from lights in the
Union, computers eating up energy in the many computer labs we have, to a student having
his AC unit on during the early fall to avoid the heat.

Off-Campus Energy- A large portion of the student population lives off campus, so this
ranges from gas and electricity used by students in the many houses and apartment
complexes scattered around West Lafayette.

Transportation- Transportation methods like cars and buses directly emit carbon from their
exhausts; also Purdue has its own airport, so airplane use is included.

Permanent Materials- When buildings are constructed, massive amounts of building

materials are needed, to produce these materials, carbon dioxide is usually involved as a
byproduct (for instance steel beams need to be forged and heated, and fuel and other
material were burned to heat up the furnaces that produce steel).

Consumable Materials- Carbon dioxide from the production of items ranging from food to
text books.

Land Use- This area can help reduce carbon footprints by promoting the growth of plants
(which consume Carbon dioxide) to idle land that the university takes care of but does not
have any use at the moment. 1

1 Carbon Neutrality @ Purdue. Purdue’s Carbon Footprint. 2009. 11 July 2009 <http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~cneutral/footprint>

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Statistics:
Here is statistical data of many universities, regarding total emissions. Many of the
universities have varying numbers of carbon production. We have thrown in the statistics
from very warm climates to show the contrast between regions.

Total Emissions

Xavier University
Rose-Hulman Institue of Technology
Purdue University
Ohio University
University of Nevada, Reno
Indiana University, Bloomington
Indiana State University
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Ball State University
0 50,000 100,000 150,000 200,000 250,000 300,000 350,000 400,000 450,000 500,000

Metric
T on s

Naturally the larger schools would have bigger footprints, so we created a carbon footprint
to student ratio in our second graph.1

Emissions Per Student

Xavier University
Rose-Hulman Institue of Technology
Purdue University
Ohio University
University of Nevada, Reno
Indiana University, Bloomington
Indiana State University
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Ball State University

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
Metric Tons

Judging from the sizes, Purdue leads the way in having the smallest carbon emissions per
student by a wide margin, even beating those within warm regions.

1 American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment. Statistics and Data Views. 2009. 11 July 2009
<http://acupcc.aashe.org/>

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“Ball State no longer has to rely on
electricity produced from fossil fuel
burning power plants, but would
receive its energy from geothermal
energy produced by earth.”
“Reduction strategies promote more
energy efficient buildings, pursuing
renewable energy sources, and
promotion of alternate
transportation.”
“[Indiana University] has created a
task force of students, faculty, and
staff to report back to the university
on what it needs to be doing.”
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Ball State
What sets Ball State apart from the other universities is
its new and daring construction of America’s largest
geothermal heating and cooling system. This new system
would mean Ball State no longer has to rely on electricity
produced from fossil fuel burning power plants, but would
receive its energy from geothermal energy produced by
earth. This effectively would take Ball State from the top
gross carbons emitted per student, to the third least gross
carbons emitted per student in our comparison. 1
Indiana University Bloomington
Indiana University is a little bit behind on reducing its
carbon footprint. In 2008 the emissions for the entire city of
Bloomington were 928,512 tC. 2 There are a number of
reduction strategies in place to help reduce the emissions
including switching light bulbs to CFL and LED
technologies, promote more energy efficient buildings,
pursuing renewable energy sources, and promotion of
alternative transportation. 2 The city is committed to
reducing its footprint to 7% below 1990 levels by 2012. 2
Greenreportcard.org gave the campus an overall grade
of C+. The areas of the report dealing with carbon
emissions (green building, transportation, recycling, and
climate change and energy) were all given a passing grade
of a C.2 To that end it has created a task force of students,
faculty, and staff to report back to the university on what it
needs to be doing. 3 While the suggested policies have not
been implemented yet, the creation of the task force is
definitely a step in the right direction.
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Michigan State University

“[MSU] has implemented several
strategies for energy efficiency on
campus, including lighting retrofits
and installation of solar panels to
power the student activities center.”
Michigan State University received a sustainability grade
of B from greenreportcard.org. The grade took a hit from
its shareholder involvement section (an F), but in many of
its policies it is doing well. Transportation is its strongest
point, with a grade of an A. 3 This is due to a large number
of hybrid and biodiesel vehicles in the university fleet, a
campus shuttle system, an educational system to teach
students about alternatives to driving, and bike loans and
bike service workshops. 3
Michigan State University has implemented several
strategies for energy efficiency on campus, including
lighting retrofits and installation of solar panels to power
the student activities center. 3 Its green building plan
requires all new major projects to be LEED certified. 3

1 Laibie Corporation. Ball State University beings the largest Geothermal project in U.S History. 2009. 13 July 2009
http://www.laibecorp.com/bsugeo.html
2 Carbon Offsets Daily. Bloomington commissions take steps to reduce city’s carbon footprint by 2012. June 9,
2009.<http://www.carbonoffsetsdaily.com/usa/bloomington-commissions-take-steps-to-reduce-city%E2%80%99s-carbon-footprint-by-
2012-8673.htm>
3 Green Report Card. The College Sustainability Report Card. 2009. 11 July 2009 <http://www.greenreportcard.org/report-card-2009

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Ohio State University

“The Green Build policy is a strategy
that seeks to increase the efficiency
of new buildings, renovations to old
buildings, and new additions to
buildings on the campus.”
“The Institute for Energy and the
Environment also funds research on
sustainability and environmental
projects. OSU is one of the leading
universities in green building research
and development..”
Ohio State University has a number of strategies in place
to help reduce its carbon footprint. The Green Build policy
is a strategy that seeks to increase the efficiency of new
buildings, renovations to old buildings, and new additions
to buildings on the campus. The guidelines are set forth in
the Interim Green Build and Energy Policy #3.10. The goal
of this policy is to reduce energy consumption by on and off
campus buildings by 20% by the year 2014. This green
build policy applies to any construction projects with costs
expected to be in excess of $100,000. 1 In 2008 OSU also
purchased the maximum allowed amount of green power,
3.3 million kWh.2
The Institute for Energy and the Environment also funds
research on sustainability and environmental projects.
OSU is one of the leading universities in green building
research and development. OSU is also committed to
reducing the carbon emissions due to transportation.3 The
current policy gives free bus service on campus, as well as
free passes to local mass transit services.3 The current
university fleet vehicles include hybrid and electric vehicles,
and all diesel fueled vehicles on the campus use B20
biodiesel .3 The overall grade given to the school for
sustainability was a B, but this includes both economic and
environmental concerns, so it may not fully reflect how well
the school is at reducing emissions. According to the report,
the university needs to do better at both its green building
policy and also its transportation policy.3

1 American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment. Statistics and Data Views. 2009. 11 July 2009. <http://acupcc.aashe.org/>
2 OSU Sustainability News. 2009. 14 July 2009<http://iee.osu.edu/sustainability>
3 Green Report Card. The College Sustainability Report Card. 2009. 11 July 2009 <http://www.greenreportcard.org/report-card-2009>

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Purdue
The largest percentage of emissions (83.1%) are from on and off campus electricity
use. However, Purdue’s efforts to date have mostly been centered around recycling and
transportation. 1 Purdue’s fleet has vehicles that all run on flex fuel E10 or E85, has four
hybrid vehicles, and has eight more on order The university has subsidized mass transit for
students and faculty, and is also committed to making the campus more pedestrian-friendly.
1
Purdue intends to follow LEED certification for new buildings, but there is no word on
whether or not Purdue intends to try to make the older buildings more efficient .1
Committing to the same standards as OSU would reduce emissions from buildings by 20%,
or by 30,200tC a year, or more than the emissions from all other factors combined. This
would reduce total emissions by the university to 83.2% of current emissions, or 149,800 tC
a year.1 While the adoption of more fuel efficient vehicles is good, the building efficiency has
a much greater effect on campus emissions. For Purdue to continue to improve its
environmental impact, it needs to implement a better green building policy.

Purdue Goes Green: Current Efforts

and Future Initiatives
Purdue University has started a wide range of programs to make their campus
greener. Specifically, the university has started the construction of its first green building
that will meet the standards of the U.S. green building council and be LEED certified.2 The
building will contain solar roofing; less water treated plumbing, green label carpet, and
recycled construction materials. Purdue has also instituted a climate research center that
will measure the university emissions by hour; this in turn will help development and
growth within the campus.2 Programs also include a student 2008 Pugwash in which
discussions about the current human affects on the environment are facilitated. The school
has incorporated many environmental professionals into their faculty in order to maintain
their trailblazing approaches. Along with these efforts is the lasting impact of the student
run organizations. Currently there are 16 active organizations on the campus working to
make their marks on the environment at Purdue.2 In the realm of tangible results are the
Universities recycling habits. In 2008 Purdue recycled approximately 1,600 tons of materials
and the university residences dedicated over 3,000 hours of service to this ongoing initiative.
Making a splash on Boiler television channels are the new public service announcements
that encourage students to reduce, reuse and recycle. Electronic promotions are also done
through two programs they call “PurduE-board” and “Get Involved.” 2

1 Green Report Card. The College Sustainability Report Card. 2009. 11 July 2009 <http://www.greenreportcard.org/report-card-2009>
2 Purdue University Sustainability. 2009. 11 July 2009 <http://www.purdue.edu/sustainability>

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Green Week
Purdue also instituted its first ever “Green Week” in 2008 and because of its success
they are currently planning Green Week 2009 which will be held in September. Green Week
is a week of events which are designed to bring attention on sustainability issues. The week
involved the Alternative Transportation Challenge, members of the Purdue were urged to
seek environmentally friendly ways to commute, and there was a litter cleanup along the
Wabash River. Football fans got into the act, too, recycling 5,600 pounds of materials from
their trash before, during, and after the Purdue vs. Central Michigan game. The weeklong
celebration of the environment concluded with a lecture by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist
and author Thomas Friedman. 1

Sustainability
The University’s main focus is sustainability; they have programs that have started
but there are many plans for the future. Sustainability initiatives at Purdue University focus
on measurable factors like; Energy conservation, responsible use of land, water and other
environmental resources, pollution prevention and waste minimization, increasing
awareness and acceptance of personal responsibility for Purdue and its surrounding
communities, and "Buying Green.” 1 The development of The Purdue Arboretum is
underway. They have an active tree protection program and policy to protect approximately
8,000 campus trees from construction and maintenance damage. The grounds of the campus
have a consultant studying Purdue's waste stream in order to plan for increased recycling
effectiveness. Campus Planning is working with to develop permanent outdoor recycling
receptacles. 1

1 Purdue University Sustainability. 2009. 11 July 2009 <http://www.purdue.edu/sustainability>

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Conclusion
Overall, Purdue has found a way to continuously affect their campus for the better.
Purdue University has places where students, faculty, and staff can recycle on campus. Over
40 buildings have recycling areas for plastic, paper, aluminum, and newspaper.
Additionally, every residence hall has multiple areas for paper, plastic, aluminum, and
newspaper recycling. All of the computer labs, regardless of the building, have paper
recycling located next to the printer. Purdue has maximized every environmentally friendly
effort from recycling to construction of buildings in order to help their campus and ideally
have an impact on the world as a whole. 1 Purdue is setting an example which others should
undoubtedly follow.

1 Purdue University Sustainability. 2009. 11 July 2009 <http://www.purdue.edu/sustainability>

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Works Cited

American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment. Statistics and Data Views. 2009. 11 July 2009.
<http://acupcc.aashe.org/>

Carbon Neutrality @ Purdue. Purdue’s Carbon Footprint. 2009. 11 July 2009.

<http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~cneutral/footprint>

Carbon Offsets Daily. Bloomington commissions steps to reduce city’s carbon footprint by 2012. June 9, 2009.
<http://tinyurl.com/lpoetk>

Green Report Card. The College Sustainability Report Card. 2009. 11 July 2009.
<http://www.greenreportcard.org/report-card-2009>

Indiana University Task Force on Campus Sustainability. Campus Sustainability Report. January 7, 2008.
<http://www.indiana.edu/~sustain>

Laibie Corporation. Ball State University, largest Geothermal project in U.S History. 2009. 13 July 2009.
<http://www.laibecorp.com/bsugeo.html>

OSU Sustainability News. 2009. 14 July 2009.

<http://iee.osu.edu/sustainability>

Purdue University Sustainability. 2009. 11 July 2009.

<http://www.purdue.edu/sustainability>

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