Micah Davis
In an effort to stave off global warming, the presidents and chancellors of 284 universities and colleges across the nation committed to negating the effects of our carbon-producing activities. The American College & Public University Presidents Climate Commitment, created last June, promises to “initiate development of a comprehensive plan to achieve climate neutrality as soon as possible.”California comprises 37 of the original 284 nationwide institutions. Among that 37 are the nine colleges of the Los Angeles Community College District, including Pierce College.”I’m always pushing for the toughest standards,” said Nancy Pearlman, LACCD board of trustees member. “I’ve advocated sustainability even before I was elected. I’m thrilled to see the district moving in this direction.”According to sustainabilitydictionary.com, climate neutrality, also called carbon neutrality, is defined as the process of offsetting carbon-producing activities with those that either reduce or capture carbon, thus credibly neutralizing the net amount of carbon released in the atmosphere from a particular activity.Before the district vowed to embrace environmentalism, Pierce sought to establish itself as an eco-friendly campus.”(Pierce) has made substantial strides concerning efficiency,” said James Rikel, chair of the life science department. “I think we’re way ahead of other campuses.”In 2003, Pierce took its first shot at turning the campus green, launching the largest community college solar-powered system in the country – reducing outsourced energy by 25 percent.As part of an effort to decrease the number of cars on the road, and thus achieve less greenhouse gas emissions, Pierce leased land to the Metro Orange Line in 2005.The Climate Commitment focuses on establishing a concrete plan to ensure climate neutrality.Within one year of signing the document, schools must complete a comprehensive inventory of all greenhouse gas emissions and update the inventory every other following year.By year two, states the commitment, an “institutional action plan for becoming climate neutral” is expected.”We do have plans to make all these commitments possible,” Pearlman explained. “We’re developing sustainable curriculum and creating green jobs for the work force.”The signatories agreed to five goals that should be completed by the second year. Included in those is a target date for achieving climate neutrality as soon as possible and interim targets for goals and actions that will lead to climate neutrality.The process is expected to be lengthy, so schools were instructed to develop short-term solutions to the steadily intensifying issue.”I think everything we’re doing is focused on being friendly to the environment,” said Paul Nieman, director of facilities at Pierce. “The brand new buildings, the Science Center and Student Services building, will be LEED certified.”The Leadership in Energy and Environment Design Green Building Rating System, LEED, is the standard for all new construction on LACCD campuses.The system is designed to guide and distinguish high-performance commercial and institutional projects, according to the Web site. It is a checklist to ensure every new building meets stringent green standards.”In the future, it’ll be required to be LEED certified,” said Andrew Ramsay, senior project manager for Swinerton Management Team. “It’s a higher initial cost, but it’s generally considered to more than pay for itself in the long run.”Sensors in the new buildings on campus will automatically disable lights left on in unoccupied rooms. The furniture and carpet will also contain some recycled materials.Though it may seem insignificant, every step taken by institutions to negate their carbon footprints is important.Unfortunately, some schools are not already as eco-friendly as our own. Older institutions require extensive renovation to make sure their buildings meet green standards.”(LEED certification is) a relatively new thing,” Ramsay said. “It’s basically a 21st century thing.”Renovations, coupled with the resources necessary to become climate neutral, might deter some institutions from committing to negating their carbon footprint. As of now, it remains unclear how the commitment will financially impact the LACCD. The plan to transform the campus into a green one is still in development.