Both smaller communities such as Lafayette College and influential nations are addressing the problems of climate change. “Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from transportation account for about 29 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, making it the largest contributor of U.S. GHG emissions. Between 1990 and 2017, GHG emissions in the transportation sector increased more in absolute terms than any other sector” (EPA 1). The transportation sector needs a major overhaul in order for the United States to reduce its carbon emissions. It has made some strides, setting GHG emission and renewable energy standards in an effort to reduce these harmful emissions. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (pictured below) and the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 helped create a foundation to build from when setting standards for transportation (Alternative Fuel Data Center 1). These acts were essential for the United States to solidify its own identity as one of the world’s most influential and progressive countries. This ideology, the desire for a positive perception from others as well as shifting values helped create and establish more environmentally conscious federal regulations. These motives are very similar to those held by Lafayette College, prompting stakeholders to pass the Climate Action Plan as it tries to achieve carbon neutrality.
Figure 3: “Energy Policy Act of 2005”, (US EPA, 2019)
Higher emphasis put on reducing emissions also led to more extensive research including the Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks 1990-2017. This national inventory is under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, an environmental treaty adopted in 1992 to make a more conscious effort to better understand the impact emissions has on the environment (EPA). This program conducted extensive research and found that 29% of GHG emissions are from transportation and light-duty vehicles account for 59% of those emissions.
Lafayette College is a private institution that has an end goal of providing an enlightening educational experience for students while also trying to make as much money as possible. This Climate Action Plan is part of that mission. If Lafayette College wants to be considered a top-tier liberal arts college, it needs to be at the frontier of pressing issues and presenting itself in the best light possible. The United States government provided a framework for environmentally conscious actions to take priority to cost to an extent. This encouraged institutions like Lafayette College to take the steps necessary to stay attack climate change. If other colleges make a conscientious effort to reduce their emissions and Lafayette does not act accordingly, it would lower the quality of applicants. Public perception is a massive component to decision-making. Institutions are competing with one another to have the most technologically advanced, safest, environmentally friendly, beautiful campus to recruit the highest possible talent.
As part of the Climate Action Plan 2.0, Lafayette College committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2035. The original Climate Action Plan focused on providing shared transportation to students through the LCAT system of buses and two U-Haul cars available at Sullivan Parking Deck. These implementations helped contribute to a 20% reduction in emissions on campus, however, more steps need to be taken to meet the carbon neutral goals set by the college. (Lafayette College Office of Sustainability, 2019) The Climate Action Plan 2.0 does provide a general overview for achieving these future goals, but there are countless political factors that still need to be addressed. There needs to be a collaborative effort between the Board of Trustees, Office of Sustainability, Financial Planning and Capital Budget Department, and external providers to steer Lafayette towards a carbon neutral environment.
The department that plays a crucial role in dictating the implementation of transportation related sustainability efforts is the Financial Planning and Capital Budget Department. This department is responsible for providing financial analysis and advice to decisions-makers at Lafayette for long-term planning. This includes financing, capital management, and risk management to support the Board of Trustees with certain decisions. (Finance and Administration, 2019) This group will conduct financial analyses of different emission reduction alternatives to determine the most feasible options. Further explanation will be provided in the economic context section, but this includes evaluating costs and risks associated with replacing the current fleet of Lafayette owned vehicles with more fuel-efficient options, different charging stations, and solar canopies to power the charging stations. The Financial Planning and Capital Budget Department would then relay their findings to the Board of Trustees to better educate them on potential options.
Another key player in this process is the Office of Sustainability. This department provides a similar role to the Financial Planning and Capital Budget Department, acting as a resource to the Board of Trustees and others in need of sustainable information. The Office of Sustainability has specialized knowledge regarding Lafayette’s current transportation emissions, efforts taken to approach carbon neutrality, steps taken at other institutions that can be applied to Lafayette, etc. For instance, Nick DeSalvo provided information regarding electric vehicles used at DeSales University. They purchased an electric vehicle to replace one of their campus police vehicles. All of the officers responded positively to the switch, proving that a transition to more fuel-efficient vehicles is realistic. Although most emissions results from heating and water on campus, reducing current transportation emissions could be a crucial component to achieving the goals set in the Climate Action Plan 2.0.
The Financial Planning and Capital Budgeting Department along with the Office of Sustainability should not and therefore will not be doing this work alone. As Engineering Studies students we have taken classes in the economics and finances of these large financial projects as well as we have studied the process of sustainability initiatives through courses on public policies and sustainable solutions. By pulling from this pre existing coursework our group and future groups will play pivotal roles in solving the puzzle that is reducing carbon emissions from the schools vehicle fleet and creating legislation that will continue to promote sustainability practices in transportation for years to come. The combination of efforts from both the students and the administration is what is going to help this project succeed. There are different perspectives that come with being in a student role versus a professional role and bringing those together is what has the power to make this project a success. At the end of the day the college is here to educate students and positively benefit the communities surrounding it.
The Board of Trustees is one of the most crucial players in the implementation process since they would be the ones making decisions regarding different sustainable transportation alternatives. The Board consists of 35 members from a variety of professional backgrounds that help shape the future of Lafayette. Each of the previous departments help provide further insight into sustainability discussions by the Board of Directors. The board understands the importance of the updated Climate Action Plan and taking the necessary steps to achieve carbon neutrality. However, the board also recognizes that cost is always a factor. This is where the Financial Planning and Capital Budget Department and the Office of Sustainability provide their findings regarding potential decreases in emissions and costs associated with each option. The first decisions regarding replacing the vehicles in the current fleet with more fuel-efficient options. They will then need to discuss implementing more charging stations on campus. There are currently 6 stations located in Markle Hall parking deck, Watson Hall parking lot, and at 901 Bushkill Drive. They will need to understand different station power levels and figure out the optimal option to implement on campus. The last component that the Board of Trustees will need to vote on is the power source used to power the charging stations. The board needs to discuss these decisions with some of the other departments to understand their feasibility.
Another crucial component that could enable Lafayette College to become more sustainable us the issuance of grants. In 2018, Northampton County was awarded $30,000 in grant funding for the installation of three Level 2 charging stations. (69 News, 2019) These Level 2 charging stations can charge two vehicles at a time and are located at the Department of Human Services in Bethlehem and the parking deck at the Courthouse in Easton. The grant was provided by Driving PA Forward, an initiative started by Governor Wolf’s Administration and the DEP to increase air quality in Pennsylvania. State and federal governments understand the importance of fuel-efficient modes of transportation and are taking climate change seriously. This program will provide $7.7 million to help install these charging stations for public use. (Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, 2018) If Lafayette College is serious about increasing the amount of charging stations on campus, they will need to apply for grants such as those driven by this program.
There are also countless federal and state financial incentives available to ease the significant initial costs associated with each facet of this project. This includes one provided by the Department of Community and Economic Development through the High Performance Building Incentives Program. This program provides grants up to 10% of the project cost which would help reduce the massive initial costs associated with the installation of solar panels (Solar Insure, 2019). Another incentive that would decrease the significant solar canopy costs is the Solar Investment Tax Credit. The ITC was enacted in 2006 and provides a 30% tax credit on residential and commercial solar systems (Solar Energy Industries Association 1). Either of these options would make a solar canopy more affordable for Lafayette College and hopefully persuade stakeholders to incorporate solar canopies on campus.
There is also the Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment Rebate that reimburses institutions $5,000 or up to 80% of the total project costs for the acquisition, installation, maintenance, and operation of Level 2 charging stations (EVSE 1). Another state incentive that is directed towards the purchase of more environmentally friendly vehicles is the Alternative Fuels Incentives Grant Program. This program provides financial assistance through incremental cost expenses and the cost of purchase associated with bi-fuel, duel-fuel, or dedicated vehicles (AFIG Program 1). These are just some of the many programs with funds dedicated to incentivizing more sustainable energy sources. Lafayette needs to apply for different grants, reducing costs incurred. This decrease in initial costs will result in less resources getting redirected from other parts of the college. The more grants Lafayette receives, the more willing the Board of Trustees and other stakeholders will be to support the implementation of solar panels as the main energy source for the electric charging stations.
Figure 4: “Charging Station Available for EVSE Rebate”, (EVSE, 1)
The Climate Action Plan 2.0 provides a general base for us to start our emissions reduction efforts. Beyond that the plan lacks a complete vision and depth for us to follow. A crucial part to our political context is defining this section of the plan further for decision-makers to use when addressing Lafayette’s transportation emissions. Defining the future guidelines of the Climate Action Plan 2.0 as it pertains to emissions from the transportation sector will unlock new opportunities for students and faculty to explore other options for change once we lay the groundwork of our project. Right now the only guidance that we have is that the college has stated they wish for in the immediate future for faculty and students to invest time and effort into investigating the emissions coming from the transportation sector and then to identify possible technologies and processes for reducing emissions. Beyond that there is no true framework to this area of the Climate Action Plan. The authors of the plan leave it rather open ended stating it will be important to continually address the situation and possible solutions in the near future through identifying areas of potential. (Lafayette College Office of Sustainability, 2019) Our team plans to give the office of sustainability and the college our research in hopes they can take it and implement it in the plan so that new groups who approach this in the future have a place to start instead of only having the option to create something out of nothing.
Climate change is a large scale problem with an inherently complicated political atmosphere when it comes to finding solutions. Often people try to address climate change from the top of the problem down and are soon overwhelmed by the seemingly insurmountable odds stacked against them. After all, how many people alone know how to stop megatons of CO2 from being emitted each year? Few people, groups, and larger communities fail to ever consider constructing a Climate Action Plan similar to Lafayette’s. Many feel in the end it will result in the outcome that nothing can be done to completely solve the issue of climate change and therefore anything they d would only end up negligible. Our project here at Lafayette and others just like it stand to change this stigma. One school such as Lafayette that has invested the time and energy into changing its policies and choices can act as a catalyst to its surrounding communities to spread change and sustainable practices far and wide. This wave of change can wash over entire counties, states, and eventually nations. So instead of just 37 cars turning to electric in a college fleet it is hundreds upon thousands of cars making the switch to more sustainable emissions. That is the difference between scratching the surface and starting to make a real dent in the problem. The key to this whole movement lies within a single baseline example or case study to work from. Our project can be the case study that other administrations, governments, and councils look to as an example of initiating real tangible change in the face of climate change and continuing to hold their administration and community to higher levels of sustainability.
The next section we will explore is the technical analysis