Sodexo Leads the Way in Reducing Carbon Footprints on College Campuses
By Scott Sherman, Recruitment Manager, Facilities Services & IT

Campus dining facility heated and cooled by Sodexo geothermal system reduces carbon footprint.

In 2006, 12 college and university presidents launched the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, asking their colleagues across the nation to commit to eliminating their campuses’ greenhouse emissions. To date, 629 presidents have signed the commitment. This inspired considerable demand for sustainable facilities solutions and a wonderful opportunity for Sodexo to further serve our customers.

Sodexo responded to the objectives of the Presidents Climate Commitment Letter by developing for our educational clients a carbon footprint service that measures and helps reduce carbon emissions. We are able to go onto a college campus and tell a client what their carbon footprint is currently and how they can reduce their overall carbon footprint by looking at dining halls, waste, transportation and energy-related emissions.

Larry Krison, Sodexo’s VP of Education Facilities Solutions, explained, "We concentrate our efforts on reducing the amount and source of energy campuses use. Sodexo examines energy portfolios and provides our customers with solutions that not only broaden their portfolios, but also reduces their energy costs and carbon footprints."

For example, Sodexo and a partner company designed and installed a geothermal heating and cooling system for a campus in NY state. The system currently heats and cools 12 buildings, leaving little carbon footprint and significantly reducing monthly operating energy costs.

Krison further explained, "In sustainability, in addition to stewardship for the campus and climate, we also need to look at what is economical for our clients and how that will look in the new or current building for the next 50 years. We are thinking more in terms of the facility’s lifecycle versus immediate cost. We also look at what happens when the system is worn out and needs replaced. What is the carbon impact of worn-out systems? What imprint will they leave? Our goal is to help them leave as little imprint as possible."

You can learn more about the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment and read the letter presidents are signing all across the nation at www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org. You can also listen to a podcast with Christian Ryan-Downing, Sustainability Coordinator at Western Kentucky University and Al Allen, President of Education Facilities Services for Sodexo, on how universities measure and lower their carbon footprint here.