APPA Library

"Streamlining Your Emissions Inventory Updates"
Author: Stokes, John,
Published In: Facilities Manager
Date: May/June 2011

Of the 677 school presidents that have signed on to the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), approximately 200 of them are presidents of community colleges. This measure of involvement at the community college level is promising for two reasons: (1) these schools have emerged as a major provider of public higher education, enrolling nearly as many students in their programs as public four-year universities; and (2) community colleges are often uniquely positioned to promote change within and across communities. However, the challenges in meeting the ACUPCC commitments are substantial--for all types of institutions. As reported by Adams, a small number of signatories have actually left the program and many others continue to fall behind the deadlines for submitting required plans and updated emissions inventories. Regardless of the enormous savings needed to meet a neutrality goal, many schools continue to struggle with the basic act of creating and maintaining an accurate emissions inventory. Strapped with competing demands, leaders must find ways for small colleges to make the most with few resources. This article revisits the idea of an Inventory Management Plan (IMP)--a somewhat tedious but highly effective tool that can be particularly valuable for community colleges, where there is an elevated need for efficiency and continuity of knowledge from one year to the next. (Contains 6 endnotes.)

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