Climate and Air
Climate change is real and is happening now. The world is warming, the seas are rising, and extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and more severe. With carbon dioxide levels continuing to rise, it is more important than ever that higher education institutions take a proactive approach to educating their students about climate change and seeking solutions to address this global challenge.
Did You Know?
Since 2008, Furman has conducted an annual Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions inventory of the campus.
The Community Conservation Corps is a university-run program that performs energy efficiency weatherizations free of charge to qualifying under-served local residents. Pre- and post-audits, combined with homeowner utility data before and after the weatherization, are compiled to determine average energy savings per home, which Furman claims as an offset in our path to carbon neutrality.
The Furman Farm composts all pre- and post-consumer waste from the University Dining Hall and uses that compost on the organic practice campus farm.
Furman has partnered with UCapture, an online platform that allows users to offset their carbon footprint via a commission program with online merchants. Student UCapture Ambassadors conduct peer-to-peer outreach to explain how an individual can contribute to carbon emissions and how they can reduce and mitigate their carbon footprint. Anyone can sign up using the link www.ucapture.com/furman to join in our effort!
What’s Next?
We continue to chart our path to carbon neutrality and, in the years to come, aspire to:
- offset our study abroad travel.
- offset our faculty and student conference travel.
- work with our energy provider to pursue more renewable sources of electricity.