To see a video of Matt Moerschbaecher’s efforts to measure LSU’s carbon footprint, click here.
Every university, like its students, has a unique footprint — carbon footprint, that is. Matt Moerschbaecher, Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences doctoral student, is attempting to measure the University’s carbon footprint as part of his dissertation. “It’s basically an inventory of the greenhouse gas emissions that are produced through the direct operation of the school,” he said. “You can do it for an institution like LSU, or you can also do it on a personal basis. It’s how much you consume, how much energy you directly use and what its carbon dioxide equivalent is.”Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that, in large amounts, can lead to climate change, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Moerschbaecher has been working since August to gather information like the amount of parking permits the University issues, the amount of air travel students, faculty and staff use for academic and athletic reasons and the University’s recycling and waste data to determine its estimated carbon dioxide equivalent. “What our findings will show will be the basic energy consumption of the campus,” he said. The report, which Moerschbaecher is hopeful to complete by May, will be organized like any other scientific study. It will include an introduction, methods, results and discussion section. An additional section, called management implications, will outline ways the University can reduce its energy consumption and increase its energy efficiency. William Kelso, associate director of the Department of Renewable Natural Resources, said he thinks Moerschbaecher’s study is a way to inspire change in energy consumption at the University and in the Baton Rouge community. “The potential savings from wide-spread conservation are huge,” Kelso said. “A little better planning, a little less driving, turning lights off when you’re not in the house and fans off when you’re not in a room would certainly work.”Moerschbaecher wants to make several presentations of his findings to the University in May. “[The study is] pushing us forward as a top-tier research university that we already are,” he said. “We don’t need to hire an outside consultant — we have the resources here. Working together we can say, ‘OK, this is how we can more effectively run and efficiently run the University.'”More than 250 schools in the U.S. have implemented similar carbon footprint-measuring projects, Moerschbaecher said. Most of them have been smaller institutions, like Middlebury College in Vermont. Using the Clean Air-Cool Planet Campus Carbon Calculator, Moerschbaecher said he is modeling the research project after similar studies schools like the University of Florida have conducted.”It’s a competition, almost — just like anything you do with Florida is,” he said.Having a study modeled after other universities will allow people to draw comparisons between campuses, Moerschbaecher said. “Anything that is done that will help LSU reduce its energy cost and consumption is a very good thing,” said Peter Davidson, director of Energy Services. “The best thing about it so far is that it’s been so well received by the campus community,” Moerschbaecher said. “The faculty and staff are really behind it, and students have been interested as well. They’ve really advanced the project.”Moerschbaecher is working with John Day, Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences professor, on the project. Moerschbaecher said he is hopeful the data-collecting part of the study will be done by December.—-Contact Kyle Bove at [email protected]