Luther College Board of Regents sets zero carbon footprint goal

The Luther College Board of Regents has endorsed a goal of having the college be carbon neutral by the year 2030.

Regents have authorized Luther President Richard Torgerson to plan and pursue sustainable methods of operation and energy conservation initiatives that will reduce the campus carbon footprint by 50 percent by the end of 2015, 70 percent by 2020, and achieve its carbon neutral goal by the year 2030.

Luther had 17,788 metric tons of gross emissions in fiscal year 2011. Roughly 83 percent of those emissions, 14,635 metric tons, were from purchases of coal-intensive electricity to power the campus, the combustion of natural gas to heat the campus, and the use of gasoline and diesel to run campus vehicles.
 
Luther has undertaken an additional energy conservation initiative this summer, engaging the Michaels Engineering firm to conduct a 17-building campus retro-commissioning study. That study is expected to reveal energy efficiency practices that will enable Luther to achieve a total carbon footprint reduction of more than 50 percent by 2015.

"To work toward carbon neutrality, the college will evaluate additional major initiatives, including investments in LED lighting technology, centralized or decentralized cogeneration of electricity and heat, as well as more use of solar thermal and solar electric technologies," President Torgerson said. "Advances in new technologies, coupled with conservation initiatives, will play a major role in achieving these ambitious goals."