Hampshire College reaches carbon neutrality goals a decade earlier than expected

Photo courtesy of Sven Manguard via Wikimedia Commons.
Five College Consortium member Hampshire College has announced that carbon offset programs allowed the institution to reach carbon neutrality.

By Lily Benn ’24

Staff Writer

Hampshire College officially announced on Feb. 15 that the institution had reached full carbon neutrality. According to the College’s website, this goal was set for 2032, but was able to be achieved by 2022, as has been calculated for a full year. 

According to an article from the European Union News, carbon neutrality is defined as achieving net, or a total of, zero carbon emissions, usually by balancing the emissions of an individual, institution or community with the amount of carbon being recycled or removed from the atmosphere through Earth’s carbon sinks. The Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change promotes this idea, and suggests that achieving carbon neutrality by the mid-21st century is essential.

Hampshire College, located in Amherst, Massachusetts, and one of the five colleges included in the Five College Consortium, created its plan to achieve carbon neutrality as an institution in 2012, according to Sara Draper, the College’s sustainability manager. 

Part of Draper’s work with Hampshire College includes connecting students to the various sustainability programs that are on campus so that the projects can be a part of their educational experience. These include Hampshire’s many Living Buildings, their community farm and their campus and community solar fields. She works with an environmental committee that involves students and other staff, with the goal of working towards and maintaining this carbon neutrality achievement and other sustainability goals.

To calculate this goal of full carbon neutrality on and off campus, the College had set up an annual Greenhouse Gas Analysis. Draper reported that in the past few years, due to COVID-19 and previous financial instability, the College was unable to calculate their carbon emissions. “It was really like a check-in to see, we set the groundwork a long time ago, how are we now doing?” Draper said. 

She also explained that since carbon neutrality as well as some of Hampshire’s other climate and sustainability goals were originally set to be achieved by 2032, the result of this year’s Greenhouse Gas Analysis was surprising. According to the Hampshire College Carbon Neutrality Brief provided by the College in their announcement, in 2022, the College emitted 4,712.8 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents. Draper explained that these remaining emissions that the College could not limit in 2022 are entirely balanced by various carbon offset programs that the College participates in.

To balance the metric tons omitted by the College in various aspects, this year Hampshire purchased offsets from a refrigerant reclamation program, Draper explained. “You recycle a refrigerator, and at the end of its life it has this amount of refrigerant in it, that something needs to be done with,” Draper explained, “Otherwise it will escape into the atmosphere and contribute to the climate change issue.” Hampshire College is able to recapture and recycle these refrigerants, known as HFCs, or hydrofluorocarbons, and reuse them in new products, according to Draper. If this material is not recycled, it can be destroyed, she explained, but by purifying and recycling it, it can be put back into the industry and reused, eliminating the carbon emissions created when manufacturing new refrigerants. 

Draper explained that she believes this program has real impacts in reference to carbon emissions and climate change. “This is something where the market forces for certain kinds of refrigerants weren’t really there to make this cost-effective,” Draper said, “If we can incentivize it as this carbon offset project, it starts to make more financial sense.”

Draper believes that GHG analysis and carbon offset initiatives will continue to be an annual part of Hampshire’s priorities. “What are our values, what are the kinds of projects we want to support?” Draper asked, referring to keeping an annual offset budget and investment. “I would also really look forward to having conversations with our other Five College folks about potentially creating our own, local offset projects,” she said. 

As of 2023, Hampshire College is the only college of the Five College Consortium that has achieved carbon neutrality, according to the other colleges’ and university websites. It was one of the first colleges in the country to divest from fossil fuels in 2011, according to Hampshire’s carbon neutrality announcement. 

“For me, at the end of the day, is this part of having a positive impact on our world, on our peer institutions, on our local area?” Draper said in reflection. “And I think the answer to something like this is ‘yeah!’” Draper advised other sustainability departments and colleges such as Mount Holyoke that every institution is different and has different assets available to achieve their sustainability goals. Still, colleges can look at what their strengths are, and look at what is easiest for them to leverage in terms of reducing carbon emissions, Draper explained. 

Mount Holyoke College has not actively divested from fossil fuels, despite past pressure from organizations and student groups on campus, according to a Mount Holyoke News article from 2021. 

Draper expressed that she is excited to see other colleges moving in on carbon emission reduction and other sustainability programs as institutions, and is glad to feel this sense of momentum in a larger community, even as a smaller college such as Hampshire.

Weekly Climate News

Updates for August 3rd

• Are you taking daily sustainable action? Read this article on how to stay eco-friendly during a pandemic. 

• A study recently published in the journal Scientific Reports, revealed that up to 171 million people today face the risks of coastal flooding from extreme high tides and storm surges, linked to rising sea levels resulting from climate change. Not only are the inhabitants of low-lying coastal areas in harm's way but trillions of dollars in economic assets worldwide are currently at risk. 

• At least a quarter of Bangladesh is submerged from heavy rainfall, highlighting how those who have the least impact on climate change are often those who are the worst affected. 

• Lockdowns as a result of COVID-19 have cut energy-related CO2 emissions by 17 percent, a new study finds.

• But as countries and states reopen, global greenhouse gas emissions are on the rise. Read this article (with infographics!) on what this increase implies. 

• Due to climate change, poor governance and the coronavirus pandemic millions of Zimbabweans have gone hungry, but a community in Mwenezi, Zimbabwe, has a reliable food source. This resulted from an innovative plan initiated six years ago by a group of 200 women. Read this article to hear their story!

• A new push in the UK to promote and fund active travel has benefits for people’s health and the environment in curbing pollution. Read about it here! 

• 10 Indigenous guardian projects across the country will be receiving federal funding for a third year. These Indigenous communities will allocate the funds towards monitoring and protecting the environment. 

• COVID-19 shutdowns have produced cleaner air which has increased the effectiveness of solar panels around the world. 

• Read this investigation into how the fossil fuel industry finances police groups in major U.S. cities! 

• Monarchs show us that with climate change, small actions can have world-altering results. Read this article about the butterfly effect.  

A reflection on the 50th Earth Day (Op-ed)

Photo by Rose Cohen ‘22

by Abby Wester ’22

Fifty years ago, twenty million people across the United States took to the streets on April 22 to observe the first Earth Day, protesting environmental degradation and its effects on human health. As the nation was inspired and infuriated by the findings in Rachel Carson’s “Silent Spring”, Senators Gaylord Nelson and Pete McCloskey launched a college teach-in project, with the goal of informing students about air and water pollution. But as their idea gained traction and coverage, it turned into a nationwide demonstration including folks from all walks of life. 

On the 50th Anniversary of the first Earth Day, the celebration was very different. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to ravage the country, many of us recognized the environmental holiday while practicing social distancing, thus not in crowds of millions. 

With all of the passion surrounding environmental issues fifty years ago, you would think that the power of the people would take hold and help better our ecosystems and human health. However, as I look around in 2020 while self-isolated from the outside world, I see that environmental issues have not gotten much better. And some have gotten much worse. Sure, more environmental laws are in place, more research has been conducted into these issues and public awareness has increased. But climate change has already begun affecting many regions of the world, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has reported that in order to mitigate the worst effects of climate change, the world needs to cut greenhouse gas emissions drastically before 2030. 

It has been additionally proven that environmental degradation and climate change do not affect everyone equally. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a study in 2018 that found particulate matter - a pollutant caused by fossil fuel combustion that can result in adverse human health outcomes - is disproportionately higher in communities of color and impoverished communities. And climate change is already affecting developing and impoverished nations, furthering global inequality.

With environmental injustice and the impending uncertainty of our global ecosystems, it is easy to feel overwhelmed and not know what to do to fix it. While it is important to do individual things that benefit the Earth, it is also important to understand that the security of our planet is above what one person can do on an individual level. Societal changes need to happen in order to right centuries of environmental wrongs. 

Similar to the global pandemic we are all facing, it takes a whole society to change their habits, social distance and stay inside to reduce the spread of the COVID-19. One individual’s actions will not eradicate the virus, but the collective awareness and responsibility of society will help beat it.

It is not your individual job to solve all of the Earth’s environmental issues. But as a good world citizen, it is your job to understand them and the connected injustices. The first thing we can do is educate ourselves. Learn what environmental issues are important in your area, research local groups and see what you can do to get involved. Then educate those around you, because if everyone is involved on a local level, societal change can be achieved.

Staying green during COVID-19

Hand-sewn masks by Zoe Heard ‘20

by Cayley DeLancey ’21

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises wearing cloth masks when going out into public to avoid transmission of the virus through the air, especially in areas such as the grocery store where social distancing measures are more difficult to maintain. The CDC outlines that all face coverings should fit snugly but comfortably against the side of the face, be secured with ties or ear loops, include multiple layers of fabric, allow for breathing without restriction and not get damaged in the laundry. 

Many people have taken to making their own masks so that medical masks can be saved for health care providers. Making masks at home with reusable materials is also a way to promote sustainability. 

“I think it’s fun because it’s a productive use of my time that takes me away from screens,” said Zoe Heard ’20, who has started making masks while on campus. “Plus, it’s given me a way to feel productive and like I am doing something. I’ve started making masks for other people and I want to make more to donate. There are a lot of uncertainties right now but there is a little comfort in being able to do something proactive.” 

Heard said that making masks is not challenging. “My knots can be a little hectic but as long as it’s assembled well, it works, and assembly is not the hard part. I also enjoy taking clothing items that I thought would not have any use, like jeans with holes in places that make them unwearable, but now I get to recycle them into something that can help others.” Heard hand sews their masks following instructions by the CDC.

Reusable cloth masks aren’t the only way to practice staying safe sustainably. Clorox wipes are in high demand right now. They can be hard to find in stores, as cleaning supplies are needed by hospitals and nursing homes, but reusable cleaning wipes can be made from home. All you need is cut-up pieces of fabric (microfiber works best but an old cotton T-shirt works as well) and a mixed cleaning solution made of products you may already have at home.  The CDC recommends a cleaning solution of one quart of water to four teaspoons of bleach, which can be sprayed onto a surface and then wiped down. Read more about this recipe here. Disinfectant wipes can also be made using 70% alcohol, and essential oils can be added for fragrance. Read more about this here.

Many people have been making their own hand sanitizer using alcohol and aloe vera gel. According to medical experts, this can be risky due to the careful balance of ingredients that must go into making hand sanitizer. It is easy to make one that isn’t effective enough, or is too strong and may damage your skin. Washing your hands thoroughly, wearing gloves and not touching your face is more effective and safe. Read a New York Times article on this here.

You can also look into getting vegetables from a local farm. Some farms are now bringing pre-packaged boxes of fresh and local produce into urban areas, which can be pre-purchased and picked up with limited contact. Not only does this limit contact with other people while shopping, but it also means you’re eating local vegetables and supporting a local business.

If you’re missing the outdoors, some of the National Parks have created virtual tours. Several environmental film festivals have also moved online due to COVID-19. The Banff Mountain Film Festival has all of their films for this year online to be watched for free. Films vary from 5 to over 60 minutes long and document outdoor activities around the world.

Finally, make sure to do what you can to help your neighbors and community. Donate money to a local food bank, or extra masks to neighbors who can’t make their own. Volunteer at a food drive, or help an elderly person go shopping. Most importantly, stay safe!