Community council addresses climate neutrality
Taryn Martinez
Issue date: 2/14/07 Section: Campus News
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The motion, passed unanimously by the council, contained an amendment requiring that the statement and the plan be presented before the start of the next fiscal year. It came after a presentation on climate neutrality by student environmental group emPOWER.
"I'm at a loss for words, really, at how this has developed and how much support we've found here," said emPOWER member Zindzi McCormick '09. "It's very exciting news. Now the real excitement is going to come in, to make sure that this becomes a real commitment and not just a statement."
In their presentation, emPOWER organizers Jonathan Magaziner '07, Aden Van Noppen '09 and McCormick discussed the importance of Brown committing to climate neutrality and the ways the University could achieve that goal.
"Brown must balance … the recommendations of the energy and environmental committee with immediate action," McCormick said in her speech. "Brown must go climate-neutral, and we must go climate-neutral now," she said.
Magaziner outlined emPOWER's suggestions for reducing emissions, including the purchase of renewable energy credits, investment in replanting and protecting forests and making improvements to local public housing to make it more energy-efficient and offset the University's own energy usage.
The purchase of RECs "invests money in new sources of clean energy," while forest restoration adds to (carbon dioxide) absorption and off-campus upgrades represent a way of "thinking globally and acting locally," Magaziner said.
"Brown can invest in projects that reduce carbon emissions elsewhere. We can help other areas reduce their effect," he added. "It would allow us to go climate-neutral immediately."
Van Noppen talked about climate neutrality in general, detailing the efforts of other groups and institutions on the issue. "Ultimately, this has to be something Brown wants," she said.