As Paul Smith’s College updates its Climate Action Plan, the institution has been awarded a New York State Energy Research and Development (NYSERDA) grant to help fund sustainable energy initiatives.
The $56,000 REV Campus Challenge Technical Assistance for Roadmaps grant is expected to be used to hire third party energy consultants and conduct an evaluation of energy needs on campus. Additionally, $4,000 in bonus funding will support sustainability fellowship positions for students working on Sustainability Tracking and Rating Systems (STARS) projects.
Kate Glenn, sustainability coordinator and faculty member at Paul Smith’s, worked with students in her Alternative Energy class to draft the grant proposal. In addition to NYSERDA funds, a $27,000 grant from the college was written by student members of the Smitty Sustainability Committee and approved by the student body.
For the next eight months, Saratoga-based L&S Energy Services is planning to assist the college with its carbon neutral goals through three phases. The first will focus on collecting and examining data, followed by an assessment of campus infrastructure and energy use.
The third and final phase of the project will be the development of an Energy Master Plan and updated Climate Action Plan, as well as a standard operating procedure for STARS reporting. Students will be working directly with the consultants throughout.
More information can be found on the Paul Smith’s College website.
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