News-Letter

Given our proclivity for backbreaking study, most Hopkins students would probably scoff at a C+ grade. But the report from the Sustainable Endowments Institute that bestowed that middling score upon the University's environmental sustainability efforts is actually quite heartening. In areas that really matter, the University is showing great promise.

The signs of Hopkins' commitment to environmental wellbeing are all around us. Since switching to Aramark, the University's food services have become more environmentally friendly, not to mention supportive of the local economy. Charles Commons, the University's newest building, was constructed with green on the brain. And, if they're serious about their ideas, the members of the Sustainability Committee may well represent a bright spot of innovation at a University whose administrative inertia sometimes rivals that of federal bureaucracies.

But there is always room for improvement, and we would like to suggest a few possibilities that the University might consider.

Some changes are quite simple. For example, when it rains, turn off the automatic sprinkler system. Some are more complex, such as replacing the University's transportation facilities with more environmentally safe alternatives. A university is ideally situated to experiment with emerging technologies in the areas of efficient bio-fuels (read: not corn-based ethanol) and hybrid and hydrogen-powered engines.

Another option is carbon neutrality, also known as carbon offsetting. Under a carbon neutral regime, the University would voluntarily pay to compensate for its carbon dioxide production. That means it would pay a fee for every ton of carbon dioxide produced by a University automobile or facility, as well as that generated as a result of University-funded air travel and other activities. That money would then be used to fund alternative energy research and production, environmental improvement projects in countries that cannot pay for them, planting trees in deforested areas, and other initiatives. Although carbon offsetting is a promising method for reducing the impact of greenhouse gasses in the short term, it is not a permanent solution.

That is why we encourage the University to become more active in discovering that durable fix. Greater dedication to research aimed at improving the condition of the environment should be a priority here.

Everyone should acknowledge that we have a long way to go. But, for now, we are pleased to know that the University appears willing to get there.

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