Professors Paul Sylvester, Early & Middle Grades Education, and Michael Di Giovine, Anthropology, in conversation with Bradley Flamm - Offsets and the Path to Carbon Neutrality in Higher Education and Study Abroa

Di Giovine, Michael A.

Flamm, Bradley

Sylvester, Paul

English

Digital Commons @ West Chester University

West Chester University Digital Commons @ West Chester University Sustainability Research & Practice Seminar Presentations Sustainability Research & Creative Activities @ WCU 4-19-2023 Offsets and the Path to Carbon Neutrality in Higher Education and Study Abroad Paul Sylvester West Chester University of Pennsylvania, psylvester@wcupa.edu Michael A. Di Giovine West Chester University of Pennsylvania, mdigiovine@wcupa.edu Bradley Flamm West Chester University of Pennsylvania, BFLAMM@wcupa.edu Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.wcupa.edu/srca_sp  Part of the Sustainability Commons Recommended Citation Sylvester, P., Di Giovine, M. A., & Flamm, B. (2023). Offsets and the Path to Carbon Neutrality in Higher Education and Study Abroad. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.wcupa.edu/srca_sp/82 This Seminar Presentation is brought to you for free and open access by the Sustainability Research & Creative Activities @ WCU at Digital Commons @ West Chester University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Sustainability Research & Practice Seminar Presentations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ West Chester University. For more information, please contact wcressler@wcupa.edu. Offsets and the Path to Carbon Neutrality in Higher Education and Study AbroadPROFESSOR PAUL SYLVESTER, EARLY AND MIDDLE GRADES EDUCATIONAND PROFESSOR MICHAEL DI GIOVINE, ANTHROPOLOGYIN CONVERSATION WITH BRADLEY FLAMM, OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITYWCU SUSTAINABILITY RESEARCH & PRACTICE SEMINAR: APRIL 19, 2023Our agendaClimate change, carbon emissions, & WCUCarbon offsetsSustainability, carbon neutrality, & study abroadHomo sapiensWhat we might expect … final warning on 1.5°C… catastrophic… Code Red… alarming… oil profits or a livable future… unprecedented… rapid decline… dangerous tipping points… pervasive and irreversible… severe impacts… Every increment of global warming will intensify multiple and concurrent hazards. Climatic and non-climatic risks will increasingly interact, creating compound and cascading risks that are more complex and difficult to manage.Language from IPCC reports, 1992 to 2023WCU actions1971: Gordon Natural Area protect2001: Formation of WCU’s Environmental Council2005: First geo-exchange heating and cooling system installed2007: “Environmental awareness” added to WCU Plan for Excellence strategic plan2008: North campus district geo-exchange heating and cooling system2010: WCU signs the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment2013: Climate Action Plan: Carbon Neutral by 20252014: Decommissioning of coal-fired boiler plant2019: Demolition of WCU’s coal-fired boiler plantScopes of emissionsScope 1On campus combustion, aka Direct Emissions Natural Gas and Heating Oil Gasoline and Diesel Refrigerants and other chemicalsScope 2Purchased electricity, aka Indirect Emissions PECO-delivered electricity Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) On campus electricity generation All other indirect emissions Commuting Business Travel Study Abroad Travel Solid Waste and Waste Water FoodScope 3Good progress: 29%, 38%But we’re not on track to carbon neutrality by 2025… … nor even 2050Updated Climate and Sustainability Action Plan New carbon neutrality targets by Scope Scope 1: On campus fossil fuel combustion  2035 Scope 2: Purchased electricity  2025 Scope 3: Indirect emissions  2050 or later Other sustainability strategies in seven topic areasOur agendaClimate change, carbon emissions, & WCUCarbon offsetsSustainability, carbon neutrality, & study abroadWhat is carbon offsetting?A system of paying a fee that represents the cancellation of the impact of “emissions by investing in projects that reduce or store carbon – forest preservation and tree planting are among them, but carbon credits are also awarded for projects that reduce fossil fuels in other ways, such as windfarms, solar cookstoves, or better farming methods.”Fiona Harvey, The Guardian, 4 May 2021(https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/may/04/what-is-carbon-offsetting-and-how-does-it-work) Vreni, 2020, Are Your Carbon Offsets Doing Anything?https://thenib.com/are-your-carbon-offsets-doing-anything/The Oxford Principles for Net Zero Aligned Carbon Offsetting Prioritize reducing emissions first Purchase high-quality, verifiable, transparently managed carbon offsets Focus on offsets that remove carbon from the atmosphere Shift to long-lived storage Support net zero aligned offsettingSource: https://www.smithschool.ox.ac.uk/research/oxford-offsetting-principlesOur agendaClimate change, carbon emissions, & WCUCarbon offsetsSustainability, carbon neutrality, & study abroadSome resources Developing University-Initiated Offsets and Using Peer Verification https://hub.aashe.org/browse/video/23755/Developing-University-Initiated-Offsets-and-Using-Peer-Verification Uncovering Risk in the Voluntary Carbon Market https://hub.aashe.org/browse/video/18745/Uncovering-Risk-in-the-Voluntary-Carbon-Market The Oxford Principles for Net Zero Aligned Carbon Offsetting https://www.smithschool.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2022-01/Oxford-Offsetting-Principles-2020.pdf The World Is Finally Cracking Down on ‘Greenwashing’ https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2023/03/greenwashing-refuses-to-die/673241/ Are Your Carbon Offsets Doing Anything?  https://thenib.com/are-your-carbon-offsets-doing-anything/ What is carbon offsetting and how does it work? https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/may/04/what-is-carbon-offsetting-and-how-does-it-work Study Abroad and the Quest for an Anti-Tourism Experience, Edited by John J. Bodinger de Uriarte andMichael A. Di Giovine, 2020, Lexington Books WCU Study Abroad and Carbon Offsets: Not Whether but When NOW! Paul Sylvester, 2019 https://digitalcommons.wcupa.edu/srca_sp/11/Additional Slides, Professor Paul SylvesterPresident’s commitment (2010) to offset all air travel by 2020  4,524,026 How many WCU study abroad miles?4,524,026 Sources: 1) Center for International Programs for study abroad miles2016-2017 4,000,000 miles2017-2018 4,500,000 miles2018-2019 3,800,000 miles2021-2021 760,000 milesHow many WCU air travel miles?4,524,026 Study abroad (students only)61%All other travel 39%WCU Travel (2017/2018) Study abroad(students only)All other travelSources: 1) Center for International Programs for study abroad miles and  2) Accounts payable for other travel.Current miles offsets by WCU4,524,026 Agreeing with Michael with a caveat4,524,026 • Carbon offsets• Voter registration• Regulations on industry• Investment in green energy• Investment in energy research• Taxing polluters• Cap and Trade• FonFifa fund (Costa Rica)Carbon output for 4.5 million miles of study abroad:4,524,026 4,524,026 Carbon offset for 4.5 million miles of study abroad:4,524,026 Carbon offset for 4.5 million miles of study abroad:4,524,026 Types of carbon offset projects1) Renewable energy  (Wind, solar, hydroelectric, biofuel)4,524,026 Types of carbon offset projects1) Renewable energy  2) Methane collection and combustion (Collection and combustion of methane generated by farm animals by use of an anaerobic digester, landfills and other waste) 4,524,026 Types of carbon offset projects1) Renewable energy  2) Methane collection and combustion3) Energy efficiency (reducing the demand by replacing carbon combustion devices, development of energy efficient buildings)4,524,026 Types of carbon offset projects1) Renewable energy2) Methane collection and combustion3) Energy efficiency4) Destruction of industrial pollutants4,524,026 Types of carbon offset projects1) Renewable energy2) Methane collection and combustion3) Energy efficiency4) Destruction of industrial pollutants5) Land use, land-use change, and forestry 4,524,026 Types of carbon offset projects5) Land use, land-use change, and forestry• Avoided deforestation is the protection of existing forests.• Reforestation is the process of restoring forests on land that was once forested.• Afforestation is the process of creating forests on land that was previously unforested, typically for longer than a generation.• Soil management projects attempt to preserve or increase the amount of carbon sequestered in soil.4,524,026 Co-benefitsEconomic co-benefits for communitiesFunding green jobsPurchasing carbon credits from marginalized communitiesJob creationIncreased livelihoodSource: Second Nature https://secondnature.org/wp-content/uploads/Co-Benefits-Document-Rev5.pdfTri-City Forest project: Holyoke MA6,500 acre watershed preservation4,524,026 Co-benefitsEnvironmental co-benefits for communitiesLand-Use, Land-Use Change, and Forestry (LULUCF)Ecological balance in… pollination, seed dispersal, germination, plant regenerationpreserving wildlife and their habitatsSource: Second Nature https://secondnature.org/wp-content/uploads/Co-Benefits-Document-Rev5.pdf4,524,026 Social co-benefits4 million people die every year from smoke from cooking.Source: Cooking Clean Alliance. https://cleancooking.org/the-value-of-clean-cooking/ Cited by Second Nature https://secondnature.org/wp-content/uploads/Co-Benefits-Document-Rev5.pdfCo-benefits4,524,026 Co-benefitsEducational co-benefits(As described my Michael). Criticism of carbon offsets 4,524,026 The reduced fat Oreo problemEducation vs. Impact?Source: John Bartram lives 2014https://johnbartramlives.me/2014/03/07/west-chester-university-tree-campus-usa/2014: West Chester University named “Tree Campus USA”Education vs. Impact?Source: John Bartram lives 2014https://johnbartramlives.me/2014/03/07/west-chester-university-tree-campus-usa/”West Chester University named “Tree Campus USA” for 2014 Education vs. Impact?Source: John Bartram lives 2014https://johnbartramlives.me/2014/03/07/west-chester-university-tree-campus-usa/”West Chester University named “Tree Campus USA” for 2014 $3.00 X 17,000 students = $51,000Criticism of carbon offsets 4,524,026 The reduced fat Oreo problemFunding: Case Study #1:Arizona State University4,524,026 The Program• Purchase of carbon offsets both abroad and through community-based offset projects• Community project of planting trees to support mission of education, research.  Helped win support.• Flat rate of $8.00 (increasing to $18 over 4 years)  for any trip including study abroad.• Advantage: SimplicityFunding case Study #2:University of Maryland4,524,026 The Program• Offset for all forms of University travel • Surcharge for flights is based on miles flown• Surcharge made by office of study abroad Grading offset programs: Research on University of RichmondSource: Bailey, K., Kurz, K., Sushkova (N.D.) Carbon Offset Solutions for International Travel Emissions. https://scholarship.richmond.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1017&context=geography-capstoneChina Program: Overall grade C • Experience (F): No opportunity for students to contribute• Education (F): No educational program related to the offsets• Incentive (D): None besides knowing they contributed• Price (C): Offsets cost $294 per flight (?)• Effectiveness / Impact (A): Wind farmsGrading offset programs: Research on University of RichmondGrading offset programs: Research on University of RichmondSouth Africa Program: Overall grade C • Experience (B): Install solar water heaters, LP cooking, speak to beneficiaries.• Education (A): Students can observe but not contribute• Incentive (A): Lifetime relationship with beneficiaries• Price (A): (Not described)• Effectiveness / Impact (A): Programs are effectiveWest Chester University4,524,026 Start with all travel or just study abroad?What steps could WCU take to develop a carbon offsets program?4,524,026 Who will carry it forward?• Leadership from the top?• Office of Sustainability?• Sustainability Council?• Center for International Programs?• Or some combination of the aboveWest Chester University4,524,026 Who will pay for it?• Voluntary contributions by the traveler (“a checkbox”)?• Surcharge to departments (if it were for all flights)?• Grant funding by the WCU Foundation?• Surcharge to study abroad program fees?• Other?Additional Slides, Professor Michael Di GiovineMichael A. Di Giovine, Ph.D.Professor of AnthropologyDirector, Museum of Anthropology and ArchaeologyWest Chester University of PennsylvaniaWhy Study Abroad?  (Definition)• A form of mobility in which students voluntarily and temporarily travel elsewhere – off-campus, and, most often, outside of their familiar cultural setting and formal educational institution – to supplement their education through cross-cultural learning.Why Study Abroad?  (Definition)A form of mobility in which students voluntarily and temporarily travel elsewhere –off-campus, and, most often, outside of their familiar cultural setting and formal educational institution – to supplement their education through cross-cultural learning.• Outside of one’s “comfort zone”• Erection of boundaries / Otherness• Fosters intercultural communication• Learn about oneself• Global citizenship• Recognition of cultural difference• Awareness of one’s place in the world and current eventsWhy Study Abroad?  Promises to foster “Global Citizenship”• An ideology that attempts to appeal to notions of global responsibility, community, mutual learning across cultures, and idealism” (Zemach-Bersin, p. 313)• Recognition of cultural difference• Awareness of current events• Understanding of one’s embeddedness in world eventsWhy Study Abroad?  Promises a “High Impact Educational Practices” (Kuh 2008)- Kuh specifically lists study abroad as a high-impact educational practice”• Integrative, deep approaches to learning• Demand students devote considerable time and effort to purposeful tasks• Place students in circumstances that compel them to interact meaningfully with peers and faculty member• Engages students in diversity through cross-cultural contact with people different from themselves• Opens students’ eyes to how learning works in different settings on and off campus“Anti-Touristic Experience”• Perception that travel stands in opposition to, and is an antidote to, the perceived ills of stereotypical mass tourism • Tourism: fast, superficial / “staged authenticity”, uninformed, socially destabilizing, commodified leisure pursuit• Study abroad: slower, “authentic” and deep; immersive and interactive; not a commodity; about learning learning and effortEthical considerations• Social sustainability• Service / Voluntourism• vertical integration• costlyDoes it really monetarily help host community • What are the credentials of the students?• Reproduces the very global inequalities that it purports to solveSocially help? Ethical considerations• Environmental sustainability• High carbon footprint • Push the problem to someone else; keep doing what you’re doing• Can you trust provider?Do you pay to off-set?• Average carbon footprint at WCU vs. on-siteHow can it be more ecologically sustainable?• Public transportation and walking• One-site vs. many places on an itinerary• Sourcing local, organic food• Local providers• Minimize trashHow long do you have to stay to off-set it?US University Students Studying Abroadall locations 1985-2018Data source: Open Doors 2019.484836234170727 71154 76302892421139591435901609201913212235342624162706042894083044673134153253393327273417510500001000001500002000002500003000003500004000001985-86 1987-88 1989-90 1991-92 1993-94 1995-96 1997-98 1999-00 2001-02 2003-04 2005-06 2007-08 2009-10 2011-12 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18Study abroad participation by program duration short-term (up to 8 weeks), 65%mid-length (1-2 qtrs.; 1 semester), 33%long-term (academic or calendar year), 2%0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%Data source: Open Doors 2019.All maps from WORLDMAPPER: https://worldmapper.org/Land Area Terrestrial Ecosystem productivityWorld Mapper: Comparisons…Total Population GDP Wealth All maps from WORLDMAPPER: https://worldmapper.org/Carbon EmissionsCarbon Emissions Decline 1990-2015 Carbon Emissions Increase 1990-2015Land Area Carbon Emissions 2015Jennifer Coffman’s (JMU) Case Study:The IPAT ModelCalculating I=PAT according to Commoner, Ehrlich, Holdren in 1970s:Impact = (population) x (economic good/population) x (pollutant/economic good)...aligning a bit more with Japanese energy economist Yoichi Kaya’s formulation:I = (population) x (GDP/capita) x (environmental impact/unit of per capita GDP)IPAT Calculations for Human Impactin billions of kg CO2e for 2016Source: World Bank Open Data2.2 0.8 4.9 12255900100020003000400050006000Malta Tanzania Lao Thailand United StatesCalculating Flight ImpactsFlight Paths for Malta (red), Thailand & Laos (blue), and Tanzania (green)Total and Weekly Emissions from Flights (kg CO2e per capita)Malta Thailand & Laos TanzaniaTotal 1061 2730 1709Weekly 297 910 214106127301709297910214050010001500200025003000kg CO 2Energy AnalysisIn-Country Transportation Analysis05101520253035Weekly transportation related emissions Weekly electricity related emissionskg CO 2eper weekMalta Lao & Thailand Tanzania Virginia, USAWeekly Averages (kg CO2e) of Transportation and Electricity Related EmissionsHow long would the study abroad programs have to be, at a minimum, to “justify” the environmental impact of the flights?051015202530Malta Lao & Thailand TanzaniaWeeksEthical considerations• Education• Getting shorter and shorter; resembling mass tourism• Can it be immersive?How long?• Do they get out of their tourist bubble? (Visiting tourist bars, etc.)• Treated as tourists by locals and hostsDo students forge relationships?• Experiential learning• More than superficial?• Increasing protection / liability means they aren’t allowed to take as many risksWhat kind of learning goes on? 

Offsets and the Path to Carbon Neutrality in Higher Education and Study Abroad

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Offsets and the Path to Carbon Neutrality in Higher Education and Study Abroad

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