Duke University
PAE-5: Climate Plan

Duke has developed a Climate Action Plan that will guide the University in achieving climate neutrality by 2024. This plan was developed in large part by the Campus Sustainability Committee, which was formed in 2008. Reduction measures such as moving completely off coal in the campus steam plant, key energy conservation initiatives, installing solar PV on campus buildings, providing direct financial incentives for alternative transportation and improving regional transportation options are several of the actions Duke would take to reduce the campus carbon footprint to the lowest levels possible.

The following is a summary of many of the actions that Duke will undertake as part of the Climate Action Plan.

Energy
* Shifting on-campus fuel mix from coal to natural gas, biomas, and biogas
* Tracking Duke Energy's progress toward climate neutrality
* Expanding energy conservation and green building efforts
* Pursuing significant on-site renewable energy projects

Transportation
* Creating a Demand Management System, which includes incentives for alternative transit
* Developing campus air travel guidelines
* Replacing and right-sizing campus fleet
* Tracking improvements in vehicle and air efficiencies

Offsets
* Pursuing transportation and energy reductions aggressively before offsetting
* Developing and catalyzing authentic, local offsets that will provide significant environmental, social, and economic benefits in North Carolina and the Southeast
* Using offset experiences as an academic tool and to improve future projects

Education
* Considering incorporating sustainability into the depth and breadth of the student experience; exploring tactics such as a “mode of inquiry” focused on environmental citizenship, literacy and sustainability or expanding existing efforts to integrate sustainability priorities into recruitment and orientation materials
* Expanding current peer-to-peer environmental programming

Communication

* Empowering staff and students to monitor and reduce their own carbon footprints
* Using Sustainable Duke Pledge to align individual's efforts with campus efforts

Assuming the actions noted previously are implemented, Duke will have reduced overall campus emissions by 45 percent in 2024. Energy emissions will be down 44 percent. Contributing to this energy emission reduction is a 58 percent reduction in the GHG emissions from electricity, a 16 percent reduction through energy conservation and green building and a 1 percent reduction with new campus solar PV. Another 25 percent of the 2024 energy emissions reduction stems from moving completely off coal in the campus steam plants.

In 2024, Duke’s transportation emissions will be down 49 percent. Emission reductions from air travel, commuter travel and the campus fleet will contribute 63 percent, 32 percent and 4 percent respectively to this decrease. It should be noted that these emission reductions take into account increased fuel efficiency of cars and airplanes as well as expected advances in air traffic management that will reduce the overall impact of this form of travel.

If Duke accomplishes this reduction scenario by 2024, the campus GHG footprint will almost be cut in half from the 2007 baseline. This would leave 182,988 MTCO2e to offset in 2024 to become climate neutral. Based on a rough estimate of offsets priced at $10/ton in 2008 and a 5% annual increase, it would then cost Duke approximately $3.9 million to purchase offsets for the remainder of the campus GHG footprint in 2024 and $91 million in total offset costs out to 2050. If the Duke Carbon Offsets Initiative moves forward as expected, the University will have many options in the future to meet this need for high quality, local offsets. It should also be noted that there is a financial benefit to starting to purchase offsets or invest in offset projects in the near term when the price is lower.

As Duke works towards a goal of 2024 for climate neutrality, efforts will also be focused on interim GHG reduction milestones. These include the following reduction percentages every five years starting in 2010, calculated from a 2007 baseline:

• 2010 – 10%
• 2015 – 21%
• 2020 – 45%
• 2025 – 45%
• 2030 – 70%
• 2035 – 74%
• 2040 – 79%
• 2045 – 83%
• 2050 – 88%

While expected campus growth assumptions, economic conditions, and Duke Energy’s potential emissions reduction, could have a significant impact on Duke’s ability to meet these reduction goals, it is still important to have short term milestones to measure and assess progress.

More specifically, Duke will be focusing efforts on energy and transportation projects to meet campus GHG reduction goals. Short term milestones in energy GHG reduction include:
• 2010 – East Campus Steam plan comes online – 86% reduction in coal use, 34% reduction in steam plant GHG emissions from 2007 baseline
o Green Building
- Establish a Duke University approval protocol for new building energy consumption approval and expand current LEED building policy to establish green building energy consumption standards for immediate use
- Implement energy use targets by Tech Rating
o Energy Conservation
- Initiate study to develop plan for Energy Conservation Measures (ECMs)
- Determine contracting method for ECMs and start implementation with goal of 15% reduction by 2030
• 2012 – Install 4MW solar PV array, 1.3% reduction in GHG emissions from 2007 baseline; initiate West Campus steam plant conversion away from coal completely – 41% reduction in steam plant GHG emission from 2007 baseline

Short term transportation GHG reduction goals include:
• 2012 –
o Commute Reduction
- Create or redirect existing resources for a Transportation position to market alternative commute options
- Expand transit subsidies, carpool incentives, and vanpools funded through increased parking prices
- Develop Park and Ride lot(s)
o Fleet
- Begin process to replace 10 buses with hybrid BRT’s (Bus Rapid Transit)
- Eliminate H5/H6 shuttle routes (that would be unnecessary with new Park and Ride)
- Establish a “green” fleet procurement policy
o Air Travel
- Develop Duke air travel policies and guidelines as well as better tracking mechanisms for air travel data by department
• Outcomes:
o About an 6 percent reduction in single occupancy vehicle (SOV) travel
o About a 4 percent reduction in parking demands
o About a 33 percent increase in transit use
o About a 4 percent reduction in air travel emissions
o An estimated 6 percent reduction in transportation-related GHG (over 2007 base)

• 2017
o Commute Reduction
- Further efforts by Transportation Coordinator
- Broaden Park and Ride program
- Explore parking pricing increases (+/- 50 percent)
o Fleet
- Replace 10 additional buses with hybrids
- Advance greening of service fleet
o Air Travel
- Continue implementation and education about air travel policy

• Outcomes:
o About a 4 percent additional reduction in SOV vehicle travel
o About a 3 percent additional reduction in parking demands
o About a 8 percent reduction in air travel emissions
o An estimated 10 percent reduction in transportation-related GHG (over 2007 base)