"College of the Atlantic's NetZero carbon emissions plan is scientifically sound, simple to understand and straightforward to implement … Perhaps the most important aspect of this achievement is that it can be matched by any other institution in the world." Dr. Rajendra Pachauri | Chair of the Nobel-prize winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

In December 2007, College of the Atlantic became the nation’s first carbon neutral college. It’s still the only college that has reduced its carbon impact to zero. How? Electricity comes from non-emitting renewable hydropower. The newest buildings—20 percent of campus—are super-insulated, reducing energy loss, and are served by a minimally emitting, local, renewable wood pellet boiler for heat and hot water. COA has plugged leaks, switched to cfl bulbs, and installed a wind turbine, doing what it can to reduce its footprint. What can’t be reduced or avoided—much of it from student travel, visitors coming to lectures or concerts, and prospective students (we count it all!)—we offset, researching the market to find verifiable, additional, quantifiable reductions.

Currently, COA's offsets supports truck stop electrification through Carbonfund.org. The project provides electricity to drivers at truck stops to eliminate the need for the idling of truck engines. This project fullfils the requirement by the American College and University President’s Climate Commitment (of which COA is a founding member) that offsets be both additional and verifiable: the project depends on offsets to expand into additional truck stops; it also verifiably reduces carbon emissions. Long-haul truck drivers must take a 10-hour rest period for every 11 hours on the road. Typically, drivers idle their trucks for those 10 hours, using the engine to heat or cool their cabs and to power appliances and electronics. Not only is idling unhealthy for the driver, it also consumes fuel and produces carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas leading to climate change.

"Everyone of us is part of the global warming problem; everyone of us can choose to be part of the solution," says Hales. "At College of the Atlantic, we have chosen to be part of the solution."

The urgency of these actions cannot be underestimated. Upon his return from serving as a member of the youth delegation to the United Nations Conference on Climate Change, COA student Matthew Maiorana called climate change "the challenge of our generation," adding, "After the conference, I realize that COA is a world leader in addressing the climate crisis. While the United Nations and the United States are taking small steps toward creating a just climate future, COA is taking giant leaps."

Beyond its efforts on campus, COA has been working nationally and locally to help other institutions further carbon reductions. Beyond ACUPCC, COA is a member of the Maine Governor's Carbon Challenge based in the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. Noted Maine Gov. John Baldacci, "College of the Atlantic is demonstrating unprecedented success in meeting the goals of carbon reduction and the State of Maine is pleased with its partnership with the college."

Adds Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, "The college's dedication toward ensuring that every aspect of its operation leaves the most minimal footprint on the environment possible is impressive. It is my hope that other institutions across the nation will follow the College of the Atlantic's lead in being good stewards of our environment."