{"71230":{"#nid":"71230","#data":{"type":"news","title":"EAS Honors Program course reduces CO2","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EStudents in Kim Cobb\u0027s class are finding ways to reduce carbon emissions on both a personal and larger scale.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ECobb, an Earth and Atmospheric Sciences assistant professor, instructs the students in her interdisciplinary Honors Program course, Energy, the Environment and Society.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022I\u0027ve always wanted to teach an energy course here at Tech,\u0022 she said. \u0022In my line of work, [global warming and climate change] is the \u0027problem.\u0027 It\u0027s refreshing to bring these problems into the class.\u0022 \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIn the class, the emphasis is placed less on conventional testing, and more on utilizing the knowledge gained in making lifestyle changes through participation and successfully carrying out the course\u0027s Carbon Reduction Challenge. Cobb says the class-mostly freshman students-was offered in the spring this year and last year.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ERoughly 60 percent of the class is lectures, from energy and public policy experts, who speak from the scientific and climate perspectives to representatives from Georgia Power Co. \u0022We brought in as many stakeholders as possible,\u0022 Cobb said. \u0022We keep it very discussion-oriented and hands-on. It\u0027s not really about acquiring the knowledge in the hopes they will become involved later on; it\u0027s about becoming an active participant now.\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe semester-long reduction challenge, the major aspect of the class, is a series of lifestyle or institutional changes the students can either effect in themselves or others to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases produced. For example, becoming a vegetarian can reduce carbon emissions, as the raising and processing of beef cattle greatly contributes to CO2 production. The final project weighs nearly half of the final grade. Students could start with themselves, then try and recruit others to join in the effort and finally tackle an \u0027institutional level\u0027 challenge. In Cobb\u0027s words, it was all about \u0027scaling up.\u0027 \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022I instructed the class to think of ways to make small, incremental changes-\u0027get the low-hanging fruit,\u0027\u0022 she said. \u0022Then they had to think of ways to scale up. I think they would say it was very challenging and rewarding.\u0022 \u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhile no tests or lengthy papers were required of students, several \u0027rules of the game\u0027 applied. Any changes or impact on the reduction of carbon emissions were required to be accompanied by ample documentation. Any change undertaken, whether on the personal or institutional level, must have accompanied evidence or witnesses. Proof must also be submitted that the reduction in carbon usage would not have happened without the student\u0027s intervention. Finally, the change must be quantified using specific sources, such as government agency Web sites, documents and academic literature. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Everything must be rigorously documented,\u0022 Cobb said.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nShe realized early on that students would probably fall into two groups: the \u0027home run hitters\u0027 who would aim for one, large-scale project, and the personal behavior groups, who would attempt incremental changes for themselves and others that would add up. While more challenging to accomplish, if a \u0027home run\u0027 group hit its mark, they could claim an overwhelming win.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhich is exactly what happened. One such group convinced a representative from Facilities to extinguish the lights at Bobby Dodd Stadium for Earth Week. This lone act was calculated to save roughly 35,000 kWh, which translates to preventing 28,500 kg of CO2 and saving roughly $2,000. Overall, Cobb says, reductions from the entire class equaled nearly 100 metric tons of CO2. (The average American is responsible for 20 pounds of CO2 emissions per day.)  \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EOther projects included an aluminum can recycling program for the Greek organizations, an anti-idling campaign presented to campus shuttle drivers and a commitment from the library to turn off certain computers over the weekend and ensure the rest are set for  sleep mode while not in use. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe winners of the reduction contest travel with Cobb to Washington, D.C., this week to meet with staffers from the offices of U.S. senators Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson, Georgia congressmen David Scott, John Lewis and Hank Johnson, and Sen. Richard Shelby, a ranking member with the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies. Cobb will also present her paleoclimate research-taken from Borneo and the tropical Pacific atolls-during the D.C. visit. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ETo jumpstart the course, Cobb took on her own challenges. She convinced Mike Edwards, director of the Campus Recreation Center, to lower the thermostat by two degrees from 11 p.m. to 11 a.m.  \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ECobb, whose research includes examining coral reefs in the tropical Pacific to study climate change during the last 1,000 years, plans to continue the course-along with some additional aspects. \u0022I hope to offer some kind of prize in future courses, as well as build attendance by advertising the course a little more.\u0022 \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAll in all, she said it was a definite learning experience for all involved. \u0022I learned a lot from my students. The challenge helped get something done, and I hope that next year we can beat this semester\u0027s reductions.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"On both a personal and larger scale, students in Energy, the Environment and Society go beyond tests and essays to reduce carbon emissions on campus.","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Asst. Professor Kim Cobb challenges students to reduce CO2 use"}],"uid":"27191","created_gmt":"2008-05-06 00:00:00","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:02:18","author":"Robert Nesmith","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2008-05-06T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2008-05-06T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"71231":{"id":"71231","type":"image","title":"Bobby Dodd Stadium","body":null,"created":"1449177358","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:15:58","changed":"1475894632","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:43:52"}},"media_ids":["71231"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/shadow.eas.gatech.edu\/~kcobb\/","title":"Kim Cobb"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.eas.gatech.edu\/","title":"School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"},{"id":"154","name":"Environment"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"2108","name":"carbon challenge"},{"id":"845","name":"carbon footprint"},{"id":"2109","name":"reduce"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cstrong\u003ERobert Nesmith\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECommunications \u0026amp; Marketing\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/contact\/index.html?id=wnesmith3\u0022\u003EContact Robert Nesmith\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E404-385-4142\u003C\/strong\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["robert.nesmith@comm.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}