Clean Air–Cool Planet (CA-CP) is collaborating with the Massachusetts State Sustainability Program (SSP) to promote renewable energy at selected Massachusetts state colleges, with the generous support of a Public Awareness grant from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC) .

Massachusetts Executive Order No. 438 set a goal of reducing greenhouse gases emitted from state agencies by 25% by 2012 - which applies to the five University of Massachusetts campuses and 29 state colleges. Participating campuses have been chosen for the project because of their strong commitment to environmental management, despite limited resources to devote to such initiatives. With the help of the colleges, SSP has collected extensive energy consumption data to assess their overall impact.

By assisting these campuses in creating new renewable energy projects, CA-CP and SSP will help them meet the state targets.  Sustainability Coordinators will receive advice and technical assistance for new renewable energy project options and development, as well as help in promoting existing projects through campus and community outreach. The MTC funding will allow CA-CP to:

• offer grant-writing assistance
• help to determine viable projects
• research financing options for feasibility studies and installations
• aid in creation of educational tours and displays for renewable energy projects
• provide existing resources such as CA-CP’s Campus Toolkit which includes a greenhouse gas emission calculator, a climate action plan with sample targets, and other reference documents.