By John Holbert

Many educational leaders have seized recent incentive-laden opportunities to decarbonize their college or university campus, K-12 district, or individual school building. But there are other compelling reasons to begin this journey.

Decarbonization means moving away from burning carbon-based energy and choosing renewable energy sources instead—like wind and solar-powered electricity—to heat and cool academic buildings, power a fleet of vehicles, and run laboratories. It also means choosing lower carbon materials throughout a building’s life cycle to lower its level of embodied carbon.

The end goal is to reach net zero operations—in which the building produces enough renewable energy to meet its own annual energy requirements—and net zero embodied carbon, in which upfront carbon is minimized and the remaining embodied carbon is reduced or offset. (Pictured: Net-zero energy Prairie Trails School.)

Here are seven motivators to consider:

  • Decarbonization mandates. Twenty-four states, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, have passed legislation with 100% clean energy goals, according to the Clean Energy States Alliance. In addition, many educational institutions have their own carbon reduction mandates; 1,100 institutions also have signed on to the Race to Zero campaign with the goal of eliminating their carbon emissions by 2050.
  • Lower energy costs. Second only to salaries for K-12 public schools, energy costs account for about 22 percent on average, nationally, of school district maintenance and operation costs. Adopting renewable forms of energy may help reduce that percentage over time.
  • The eventual decarbonization of the grid. Utilities across the country are gradually shifting from carbon-based energy, like gas and oil, to power grids with clean energy, like solar, wind, and nuclear. That means electricity-based building systems could eventually be carbon free. Building owners still using gas-burning HVAC and other equipment and appliances could end up locked into these carbon emitters for another generation.
  • Improved space utilization. Many higher education leaders are studying how space is used across campus, seeking to maximize efficiency and minimize energy use. A comprehensive decarbonization effort is the perfect time to address this. These studies can help reduce future emissions and embodied carbon by uncovering spaces that can be adapted or reused—or consolidating what may be spread across multiple spaces into one space—rather than adding a new building to campus.
  • The generations now entering college rate stewardship and sustainable practice highly. Reducing the carbon footprint of your campus will be important for attracting these students.
  • Improved learning environments and public health equity. According to a study from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, students in New York City schools were 12.3 percent more likely to fail an exam on a 90-degree day than on a 75-degree day. Poor indoor also contribute to conditions that spark respiratory illness, leading to more sick days for students, faculty, and staff.
  • Overdue maintenance and upgrades. Decarbonization and the attendant funding opportunities can provide a practical path toward addressing much of the estimated $76.1 billion backlog of building repairs, renovations, replacements, and technology upgrades that exists in the education sector, where school buildings are nearly 50 years old on average.

Campuses and school districts may face hurdles as they work to decarbonize, including other educational priorities, limited financial and staffing resources, emerging technologies, regulations, and a changing educational landscape. But by investing in net-zero-ready new construction, choosing lower-carbon materials, and retrofitting school buildings and campuses to use less space and less (and cleaner) energy, educational leaders can shrink their operational and embodied carbon footprint, create healthier spaces, and free up money in the budget to support learning.

To learn more, read IMEG’s executive guide, “Decarbonization in Education: A Practical Approach for the Built Environment,” or read the other blogs in this series: