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Bates College Profile Bates College is located in Lewiston, Maine, 35 miles north of Portland. It is a small, liberal arts college with 1700 students and 200 faculty members. Its dedication to an actively engaged approach to curricula manifests itself in its many interconnected environmental programs. A committee of faculty, students, staff and administrators form the school’s “Committee on Environmental Responsibility,” which serves to help develop and coordinate the institutions “green” practices, promote awareness on key environmental issues, and develop responsible institutional policies and practices. In 2006 Bates hired a full time Environmental Coordinator to lead the College’s sustainability efforts. Increasing numbers of students are majoring in the Environmental Studies program each year, as Bates develops an academic foundation for the environmental cause. The College also has several student-led efforts dedicated to sustainability such as the student Environmental Coalition, Bates Energy Action Movement (BEAM), and two environmental theme houses on campus.
Past Initiatives Recognizing the correlation between energy use and greenhouse gas emissions causing global warming, Bates has instituted several measures to promote energy efficiency. In October of 2002, “Vending Misers” (devices that shut down various functions of vending machines when there is no motion to indicate a consumer) were installed in 50 of the 60 campus vending machines, a measure projected to generate $12,000-$15,000 in savings annually. In 2002, a second annual environmental fair featured a “light bulb exchange program” which replaced 800 standard fixtures with compact fluorescent light bulbs, resulting in a dramatic reduction in energy use. In 2002, Bates contracted Combined Energies Consultant Group of Maine to carry out an energy audit for the College. The result was an overhaul of various aspects of the energy system that would have a six-year turnaround on the initial investments. While all of the recommendations were not adopted immediately, Bates will likely incorporate them in stages. Recognizing the need to understand the College’s greenhouse gas emissions, Bates produced its first Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory in 2001.
Current Initiatives Bates currently gets over 95% of its electricity from renewable sources. The College is also using a 5% blend of biodiesel in many of its on-campus boilers, and hopes to increase the blend to 20% biodiesel in the future. Both of the College’s two new buildings are being constructed to a LEED Silver rating equivalent. This means that they will be more energy efficient, use less water – including the installation of “dual flush” toilets – and use recyclable materials in their construction among other environmental attributes. Bates’ dining program is the first in the nation to institute a Take a Mug/Leave a Mug program which replaces the use of paper cups in the dining hall with reusable plastic travel mugs. Students can take the mugs with then around campus, and then return them to dining to be cleaned in exchange for a fresh mug.
Future Initiatives Bates’ President Elaine Hansen recently signed the Presidents Climate Commitment to work towards a carbon neutral campus. Thus Bates’ next major initiatives will be to complete an updated greenhouse gas emissions inventory and develop a strategy and timeline for reducing the College’s emissions ultimately to net zero.
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