Current Construction

The next step: Achieving carbon neutrality by 2025

In December 2016, the Office of Environmental Sustainability in conjunction with the Board of Trustees Carbon Neutrality Subcommittee of the Capital Planning Committee finalized a study that presented an actionable and financially feasible plan for achieving Oberlin’s commitment to carbon neutrality by 2025. The study is called the Oberlin College Carbon Neutrality Resource Master Plan, Implementation Strategy, and Economic Approach and was delivered to the Board of Trustees Capital Planning Committee (CPC) in December 2016.

The plan includes a set of energy conservation measures (ECMs) that will reduce unnecessary resource use. Beyond the ECMs, the plan focuses on addressing heating as the largest source of emissions. Currently, most of campus is heated by burning natural gas - a fossil fuel. After reviewing many solutions, the current proposal is to modernize campus from a steam system to a hot water system that is more efficient and updating buildings to receive this more efficient thermal delivery. In March 2021, the Board of Trustees voted to approve geothermal as the source of thermal heating and cooling for campus. More can be found at carbonneutralOC.com.

Future strategies will focus on emissions related to waste and transportation.

The study can be found here with a partially redacted appendix: Oberlin College Carbon Neutrality Resource Master Plan, Implementation Strategy, and Economic Approach

The Green Arts District is a bold and visionary plan to transform a 13-acre site adjacent to Tappan Square in downtown Oberlin into a thriving and environmentally sustainable center for community and the arts. The project will revitalize resources for the arts and education, reinvigorate the city of Oberlin, advance the college’s and conservatory’s leadership in green innovation, and create important new opportunities for student learning.

This idea — Green Arts — makes perfect sense for Oberlin, bringing our world-class reputation for innovation in education, music, and the arts together with our pioneering work in environmental sustainability. And the idea is likewise perfect for the city of Oberlin, creating a model for how a Midwestern rust-belt community can enliven its economic base, shrink its carbon footprint, and take steps toward a green future.

- See more at: http://campaign.oberlin.edu/green-arts-district#sthash.0PAZ5C9w.dpuf