Carbon Neutrality at Proctor

In the D block APES classroom we stem from this idea of carbon neutrality. What even is carbon neutrality? Are we at Proctor Academy carbon neutral? Carbon neutrality is having a net zero carbon footprint. This is accomplished by balancing the carbon that you produce and emit by the amount of carbon that you can sequester or offset.

At proctor Academy out mission is to teach and practice sustainability throughout or school community. In our mission statement we say, "We strive to attain and sustain a carbon-neutral footprint on campus."

Through the teachings, we connect with nature. We bond with nature. And we rely on nature. Today was a perfect example. Today was our "EAARTH DAY" and this years theme, connecting with nature. For my part in Eaarth day I visited Spring Ledge Farm in New London NH. We toured the farm with the owner Greg Berger, and landed a helping hand for two hours. While on the visit I learned how much we rely on what we have been given in nature. The sun, the soil, the rocks, the rain, the insects, the people. All of these things are what make a place like Spring Ledge so special. Everyone who works there realizes and appreciates the beauty and the power that nature possess.

Picture by Spring Ledge Farm

Picture of Greg Berger by Colby Sawyer

Spring Ledge is the only retail farm in the town of New London and Greg Berger's dream is to keep the place health, happy and earth friendly. This trip to Spring Ledge Farm was just one of the many possibilities of workshops created on this day to help connect over 300 teenagers to nature. And all I can hope is that all 300 other students have a greater understanding and appreciation for the nature that surrounds us.

So, Are we Carbon Neutral?

Lets start of slow, and not jump to conclusions.

For the past week our class has been learning about and researching renewable resources. At proctor we do still rely on fossil fuels such as oil and propane, but for little, minor uses, as a back up. On campus, presently, we are noticeably reliant on solar power and Biomass. Solar arrays can be located on the meeting house, hockey rink, the boat house, the ski hill and the bike shed to name a few. But with the process of building a new dining hall we have drilled 42 geothermal wells to heat and cool the building, NATURALLY! The Biomass is a way that we successfully use a renewable resource such as trees, and burn them for heat. By using the Biomass we help ourselves become closer to carbon neutral because the carbon that is emitted through burning the wood had already been absorbed. So if you think about it, we are not adding to the carbon in that way, we are just "relocating it."

Now getting to this idea of carbon neutral, are we there yet?

At Proctor we do our best to become and stay carbon neutral on a yearly basis. We are lucky enough to own just under 3000 acres, we own land which we can use for things like eco-friendly buildings, solar arrays and amazing and green athletic fields. Each year Proctor crunches the numbers to see what we are really putting into our environment. 

In class we were faced with this problem. "Find out if we are carbon neutral, and if not, how long until we are."

Lets put our math skills to the test. 

• At proctor we have about 2300 acres of woodlands. Each acre of woods can absorb 1.22 CO2e mtons/yr. 

From that right there we can calculate the moons of CO2 that our woods can absorb per year. 

2300 x 1.22 = 2806 mtons CO2/yr

We then found out through Proctor's calculations that we emitted 1425.93 mtons CO2/yr last year. If we emit only 1426 mtons CO2/yr and our woods can absorb 2806 mtons CO2/yr then we have room for 1380 mtons CO2/yr that we can emit. Here is the catch, some things there is no clear guidelines on where we keep track of our emissions. Mini buses, airplanes for getting to Spain, France and Costa Rica. All of these variables are unaccounted for because there is no define line on them. 

So in class we decide to test our numbers even more. 

• If we have about 20 mini buses, each one gets 9 MPG, and they drive about 60 miles twice a week. 

And again, we calculated our carbon emissions from the mini bus travel. 

20 x 60 x 2 = 2400/9 = 266 x 22(lbs of CO2 per gallon of gas) = 5852 lbs CO2

5852 lbs CO2 = 2.66 mtons CO2/yr 

2.66 mtons CO2/yr x 30 weeks per year = a grand total of... 80 mtons CO2/yr

In total with mini buses we emit around 1506 mtons CO2/yr. 

            The answer for, "Are we Carbon Neutral" is YES

... For now ... 

What I have found in my math is that on paper we are carbon neutral. But just because some pieces of our emissions are not documented does that mean they aren't really there? Or they aren't our problem? 

No matter what the math tells us, we can always be better. we can always do more. So, while it is good to crunch the numbers to see where we fall, I think we should get out in the world, experience nature, learn from nature, and do even more to protect and preserve it. 

Preserve and protect our home

Picture by Chuck Will

Atoms for Peace

Picture by: thebreakthrough.org

     In the film Pandora's Promise by Robert Stone, we are introduced to the ideas, benefits, and consequences of nuclear power. Nuclear meltdowns such as Three Mile Island, Fukushima, and Chernobyl set the stage for the publics eye on nuclear power alone with the atomic bomb. Pandora's Promise is filled with personal stories of environmentalists and energy experts who risked their careers and reputaions from changing their views on nuclear power from strongly anti-nuclear to strongly pro-nuclear power. The experts we meet throughout the story of Pandora's Promise are extremely passionate about the work that they do for nuclear energy and will continue to fight for what they believe in.

     For us at Proctor Academy, nestled in the small town of Andover, New Hampshire; nuclear energy and power does not seem to be on our minds. As for I am only 17 years old, I, along with my classmates were not alive to live and witness the troubles of many catastrophic nuclear meltdowns. The only melt down that comes to mind is that of  Fukushima, a nuclear meltdown that followed a very destructive combination of both an earthquake and a tsunami. Because of the slight possibility of a nuclear failure occurring, I tend not to think about this specific energy source.

     In the opening scenes of Pandora's Promise, as an audience we get an introduction to nuclear energy. "There is no other energy source that can leave areas contaminated by such deadly chemicals." "To be anti-nuclear, you pretty much need to be pro-fossil fuels." "The dangers of nuclear power was made fun of by shows such as the Simpsons." These are some of the opening statements and arguments we are presented with by using nuclear power.

Photo by: sites.lafayette.edu
The photo above shows a nuclear power plant 

     Along the sequence of events in Pandora's Promise, we begin to hear about the positives of using nuclear energy. We learn that nuclear energy is a clean source of energy, which means it does not emit any greenhouse gas affects. Also, "1 pound of uranium (the size of your finger tip) has the equivalent of about 5,000 barrels of oil." But as the movie continued on, I found one statistic to be surprisingly bizarre following the talk of destruction of Three Mile Island, Fukushima, and Chernobyl. "Death rates associated with each energy source placed nuclear as the second safest, just after wind power. And it is true, nuclear is ranked safer than solar power (due to toxins that are used to create solar panels).



     In my opinion, I believe that we should focus in the direction of clean energy. It has been proven, as shown in the video that we can create a nuclear reactor that is tested safe from all of the previous occurrences. I believe that we must focus on and direct money into the field of clean nuclear energy if we want a chance to survive on a planet with a growing population, a known factor of climate change and a supply of energy that will eventually run out.

And for those of you who believe that the only forms of 

radiation that you can be exposed to are from toxic sites,

 you are wrong...

Photo by: www.nytimes.com


We are exposed to radiation on a daily basis, just look at the proof that we get from Pandora's Promise