What Do You Know About Oberlin’s Environmental Policy?

To the Editors:

Pop Quiz: Oberlin has…(a) an environmental policy that incorporates reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to Kyoto standards, (b) an environmental policy that does not include standards for GHG emissions, or (c) no environmental policy. If you guessed “c,” you are correct.
Surprised? The issue of climate change presents itself as perhaps the greatest overarching environmental and social concern of our time. Its myriad projected repercussions threaten to disrupt human and natural systems to a devastating extent. Since our government, on the federal and state levels, has largely ignored the issue, we believe effective leadership must come from the non-governmental sector. Universities and colleges around the country, together, are one of the wealthiest institutions in the United States. The economic position of colleges and universities alongside their commitment to education and excellent research facilities will allow them to be key players in transforming present climate policy. Moreover, as an institution committed to progressive change and social responsibility, it is our belief that Oberlin College has an obligation to address the issue of climate change and work toward completely eliminating its negative atmospheric impacts. It is the ambition of Climate Justice to create a network of students, professors, and administrators to collaborate in drafting policies and programs needed to turn this extraordinary goal into a reality. The first step toward change is to raise awareness of these issues. How much do you think you presently know? How about giving it a try by testing your Oberlin Climate IQ?

1. In comparison to other colleges around the nation, including Lewis and Clark, Cornell, Tufts and Connecticut College, Oberlin:
a) is well ahead of the game in formulating a GHG reduction policy
b) has agreed to meet Kyoto standards while the others have not
c) lags behind the other schools because each have adopted a GHG reduction policy that calls for either a reduction to Kyoto standards or well below

2. Oberlin’s coal plant:
a) releases roughly 17 tons of CO2 per student per year, in comparison to other schools that release between 10 and 15 tons per student
b) has burners that will eventually need to be serviced or replaced and could be replaced by natural gas burners
c) is one of the cleaner industrial plants in Lorain county in regards to air pollution
d) all of the above are true
e) only a and b are true

3. Our dorms are like furnaces in the winter because:
a) The college’s heat distribution is inefficient — while some dorms sizzle others freeze
b) there is often only one thermostat per dorm that regulates the entire dorm’s heat and it is usually near the door to the outside
c) we don’t know how to adjust our radiators properly
d) it’s a necessary precaution to ensure students from warmer climates such as California don’t get hypothermia
e) a and b are true

4. Why has there been a huge jump in energy use on Oberlin’s campus in the past ten years?
a) Construction of buildings like Stevenson and the new Science Center demand more energy
b) Personal computers
c) More laundry facilities
d) All the above

5. Oberlin College gets most of its electricity from:
a) natural gas
b) the coal burning Service Building
c) the solar panels on top of the Lewis Center
d) Oberlin Municipal Power

6. What are some ways that Oberlin can reduce its emissions further?
a) buy carbon offsets
b) switch over to renewable energy sources
c) switch from coal to natural gas
d) use energy more efficiently
e) all the above

Answer key: 1. c.; 2. a.; 3. e; 4. b; 5. d- the Service building mainly provides heat; 6. e.

How did you do? Interested in learning more? Come to Climate Justice meetings held every Tuesday evening at 9:30, Wilder TBA.

Climate Justice –Juliette Beale
College junior