County College of Morris – David Segan – 2020
Goals
The County College of Morris (CCM) is challenged with limited staff and budget to support energy efficiency projects and other sustainability efforts. To support these efforts, New Jersey Natural Gas enlisted David Segan to help Noresco conduct an energy audit. David also developed a campus wide GHG inventory and reduction report to prepare CCM for further climate action.
Solutions
David approached the challenge of reducing CCM’s carbon footprint using a three-part process:
- Information gathering and analysis on all greenhouse gas emitting activities on the CCM campus. David used best practices in carbon accounting to transform these activities into their annual CO2 equivalent emissions.
- Visualization, normalization, and contextualization of the emissions data. David gathered data from other community colleges and used normalizing metrics such as square feet of building space and full-time students to compare performance and make the information easily understood for stakeholders.
- Presenting actionable next steps to adopt a comprehensive GHG reduction plan. David used sensitivity analyses to highlight low hanging fruit. He presented a suite of GHG mitigation strategies CCM can undertake in addition to energy efficiency.
Impact
Utilizing the energy audit, GHG inventory, and suggested mitigation strategies, CCM is ready to implement projects that reduce carbon emissions and sign on to Second Nature’s Carbon Commitment. CCM can now set targets for emissions reduction and align themselves with New Jersey’s 2050 80% emissions reduction goal. Measuring progress will be simple with a detailed carbon accounting workbook with reproducible analyses. Together, these deliverables move CCM towards joining the network of higher education institutions leading a sustainable future.
