Transcript What is an Ecological Footprint?

Green Mountain College’s
Ecological Footprint:
An Initial Assessment
Natural Resource Economics
December 7, 2000
Research Team
Supervisor:
Dr. Steven E. Letendre
Researchers:
Janine Corsetti
Beth Sanderson
Heather Polhemus
Samuel Goodspeed
Presentation Overview
 Resource Consumption at GMC
 What is an Ecological Footprint?
 Energy Use
 Oil
 Electricity
 Water
 Food
 Conclusions
 Recommendations for Shrinking GMC’s
Ecological Footprint
GMC Resource Consumption!
290,563 gallons
of #6 oil
80,532 lbs. of
cheese & butter
18,924 lbs.
of poultry
1,795,766 kWh
What is an Ecological Footprint?

An analytic tool used to calculate land area
required to provide resources consumed and
absorb waste produced by an average person,
group, campus, etc., in a particular country.

It measures 5 distinct consumption categories:
 1. Food
 2. Housing
 3. Transportation
 4. Consumer Goods
 5. Services
What is an Ecological Footprint?

An educational tool that builds public
awareness and assists sustainabilityoriented decision-making.

Increases consciousness that we live
on a finite planet with ecological
constraints.
Why worry about
GMC’s footprint?

In order to reduce
campus consumption
levels, we need to
know what they are.

Practicing
sustainability
reinforces concepts
learned in the
classroom.
Energy Consumption: Method
CO2
CO2
CO2
CO2 CO2
CO2
CO2
CO2
Energy Consumption: Oil

Annual consumption of #6 fuel oil, 290,563
gallons.

12.2 tons of carbon dioxide are released into
the air per 1,000 gallons of fuel oil burned,
3,545 tons of carbon dioxide per year.

Northeast forest can sequester .29 tons of
carbon per acre per year.
Energy Consumption: Oil
((290,563 gallons / 1000 gallons) *
12.2 tons of CO2) / .29 tons per acre

GMC requires 12,223 acres
of northeast forest to
sequester the 3,545 tons of
carbon emitted each year.
Energy Consumption: Electricity

Approximately 1,795,766 kWh / year.

According to the state of Vermont, .15 lbs. Of
CO2 / kWh are released into the air.

GMC’s electricity consumption leads to total
emissions of 135 tons of carbon per year.
Energy Consumption: Electricity
((1,795,766 kWh) * .15 lbs. of CO2) /
2,000 lbs.) / .29 tons per acre

GMC requires 466 acres of
northeast forest to
sequester the 135 tons of
carbon emitted each year
from electricity use.
Water Consumption: Method

Calculation
represents size of
basin in acres
needed to collect
water for GMC.

The Poultney area has a collection basin of
22 square miles which equals 14,080 acres.
Poultney uses 57,335,800 gallons a year.
GMC uses 9,427,000 gallons a year.


Water Consumption: Results

GMC’s consumption equals 6.1% of
Poultney’s water usage.

6.1% of the Poultney water basin equals 859
acres, an area sufficient to provide water for
GMC’s needs.

Poultney’s watershed is fully replenished
annually through rain fall, thus it is a nondepletable resource at current levels of water
consumption.
Food Consumption: Method

A partial listing of annual food purchases was
obtained from Marriott (1999).

Data was sorted by categories (e.g., cheese
& butter, beef, grains etc.)

This data was entered into a spreadsheet
designed by the non-profit organization
called Redefining Progress. This
spreadsheet converts the data into land area
required to produce and transport the food.
Food Consumption: Results
Categories:
Amount:
Veggies, potatoes & fruit
Bread
Rice, cereals, noodles, etc.
Beans
Milk & yogurt
Ice cream, sour cream
Cheese, butter
Eggs
Pork
Chicken, turkey
Beef (grain fed)
90,852 lbs.
20,111 lbs.
17,232 lbs.
828 lbs.
24,810 quarts
2,748 quarts
80,580 lbs.
936 count
10,324 lbs.
18,924 lbs.
12,876 lbs.
Food Consumption: Results
Categories:
Amount:
Fish
Juice
Sugar
Solid vegetable oil & fat
Liquid vegetable oil & fat
Tea and coffee
2,560 lbs.
1,367 quarts
650 lbs.
927 lbs.
1,268 lbs.
1,383 lbs.
Total Land Area:
2,683 acres
Conclusions

Total ecological footprint (energy, water, &
food) 15,372 acres.

GMC needs one hundred more campuses to
support current resource consumption.

80% of calculated footprint is attributed to oil
usage for heating.

17% of calculated footprint is attributed to
food consumption.
Recommendations

Adopt alternative energy sources for heating
buildings and water (e.g., solar water
heating, passive solar design, & biomass).

Increase insulation and reduce air leaks for
more energy efficient buildings.

Adopt alternative electricity producing
technologies (e.g., photovoltaics, wind, & fuel
cells), or purchase “green” power once
deregulation arrives in VT.
Recommendations

Continue water conservation efforts across
campus. Research methods for capturing
rain water runoff and utilizing graywater.

Encourage food service to purchase locallygrown, organic products instead of factory
farmed food.

Support student initiatives for creating the
Center for Sustainable Living. The center
can serve to encourage further footprint
analyses and reduction efforts.