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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 17 J U N E 2 5 , 2 0 1 8 F O C U S E N E R G Y Let us help YOU choose the best plan for your budget. Prebuy, Smartpay/ Cap Budget or Tradi onal Budget. We will work with your needs! 2018 Home Hea ng Protec on Program Yes, it's warm outside, but now is the best me to plan for a stress-free winter! C O N TA C T T H E O F F I C E N E A R E S T TO YO U : cnbrownenergy.com Our special price protec on plans are available from June 1 – October 15 CEI helps grow good jobs, environmentally sustainable enterprises and shared prosperity through financing, advising and policy advocacy. To work with us, call 207-504-5900 www.ceimaine.org Coastal Enterprises, Inc. 30 Federal Street, Brunswick, ME 04011 Building an economy that works for everyone Maine colleges continue to tackle energy sustainability B y M a u r e e n M i l l i k e n I n 2007, the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor became the fi rst carbon neutral campus in the U.S. Since then, it's been full speed ahead for Maine colleges as they tackle energy sustainability and lower carbon emissions. "Colleges are centers of emerging technology and sustainable practices, and institutions such as COA lend themselves to leadership by example," says Andrea Russell, sustainability coordinator at COA. The efforts of Maine colleges and universities are wide-ranging, from buying carbon offsets to student "unplug" contests. Recent efforts at Colby College, the nation's fourth to become carbon neutral, in 2013, include a biomass plant, completed in 2012, and a 5,300-panel solar array completed in 2017. Unity College built the state's fi rst college campus passive house-certifi ed build- ing, a residence hall accommodating 10 students, Terra Haus, in 2011. Bowdoin College recently announced plans to build four passive house dorms in Brunswick. The school reached its goal of carbon neutrality earlier this year, two years ahead of schedule. Bates College is on goal to be carbon neutral by 2020, and recently changed its central heating plant from fossil fuels to a renewable tree-based fuel oil. S O U R C E : www.epa.gov/greenpower MAINE COLLEGES ON THE EPA GREEN POWER PARTNER PROGRAM 11,657,800 kWh 100% green power 14,336,320 kWh 100% green power 798,252 kWh 100% green power 1,116,969 kWh 71% green power Bates, Lewiston Last reported Nov. 2017 Colby, Waterville Last reported Oct. 2017 College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor Last reported Oct. 2017 Unity College, Unity Last reported Apr. 2018 The EPA Green Power Partner Program is a voluntary program that encourages organizations to use green power to reduce environmental impact of electricity use. The EPA defi nes green power that produces electricity as solar, wind, geothermal, eligible biomass and low-impact small hydroelectric. The partnership comprises more than 1,700 organizations. "Of all the sustainability initiatives here at the college, energy and its resulting greenhouse gas emissions is perhaps the most pressing challenge facing us," the school says on its website. The University of Maine System achieved a 10-year, 34% reduction in carbon emissions, it announced last year. When the UMaine System announcement was made, offi cials credited students, faculty, staff and alumni with infl uencing its deci- sion to implement an environmentally sustainable policy. As with colleges and universities across the state, pioneer COA sees energy sustainability as an ongoing effort. The school formed the Community Energy Center, which connects students and community members through renewable energy and effi ciency projects, including student-performed solar, building effi ciency and renew- able energy performance analyses. The USDA's Renewable Energy Development Assistance program recently funded the project for another two years. "Many colleges' initiatives are led by students," Russell says. "At COA, it was the student-led governance committee — Campus Committee for Sustainability — that created the Energy Framework." The framework assesses energy use and has led to the campus reducing its heating load by tightening buildings, implementing fossil fuel-free heating systems and encouraged fossil fuel-free transportation. The analysis also spurred the college to move its carbon-zero target date from 2050 to 2030.

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