Popular Campus Carbon Calculator Will Soon Be Available As a Web-Based Tool Supported by the Verizon Foundation

PORTSMOUTH, N.H., April 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Clean Air-Cool Planet has been awarded a $90,000 grant from the Verizon Foundation to support the organization's program to streamline and improve carbon management for thousands of college campuses across the country.

Verizon's support will help Clean Air-Cool Planet complete and launch the group's new online Campus Carbon Calculator™ and provide support to more than 2,000 existing users of the present tool.  

More than 90% of colleges and universities that currently measure and publicly report their campus greenhouse gas emissions do so using the Campus Carbon Calculator.  A large and growing number also use the Calculator's "Solutions Module" to analyze the life-cycle costs, cash flows, and impacts of projects aimed at reducing their institutional carbon footprints.

"We are grateful to Verizon for recognizing and supporting this important opportunity," said Adam Markham, President of Clean Air-Cool Planet. "Colleges and universities are where the transition to a clean energy future is beginning and where the next generation of environmental leaders is being created. Verizon's support will enable us to provide the information tools and accurate data that campus decision makers need to choose the most cost-effective paths to a low-carbon future for their institutions. What starts with sustainable campuses, will help build healthy, vibrant communities and local economies. Verizon, as a leader in sustainability and energy management in its own right, understands that," explained Markham, "and that's why they are supporting our work to strengthen energy and climate solutions on campuses nationwide."

In 2001, Clean Air-Cool Planet partnered with the University of New Hampshire to develop the Microsoft Excel-spreadsheet template that would eventually become the Campus Carbon Calculator.  CA-CP tested it extensively with a core group of leading Northeast campuses before making it freely available for download in 2004. Since then, protocols for "best practices" in the carbon accounting industry as well as user feedback have contributed to a continuously improved and updated tool. 

Rose Stuckey Kirk, president of the Verizon Foundation, said, "We're proud to support innovative solutions like Clean Air-Cool Planet's carbon calculator.  It will allow academic institutions, which are foundations for our country's future, to generate financial savings that can fund thousands of teachers' salaries and investments in more educational resources, while reducing the institutions' carbon footprint.  As Verizon is committed to minimizing its environmental impact, our philanthropic work is aligned to support initiatives from nonprofits that offer sustainable solutions."

The EPA has recommended Clean Air-Cool Planet's Campus Carbon Calculator to colleges and universities since 2005. The Calculator is considered the tool of record for the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), and is relied upon and regularly used by scores of consultants, from large energy service companies to facilities management firms, engineering companies and architects.

More than 2500 colleges and universities around the world have used Clean Air-Cool Planet's calculator to help inventory their campus greenhouse gas emissions and develop climate action plans. Reducing campus carbon footprints is becoming increasingly important for institutions of higher education. Over 670 colleges and university presidents have committed their institutions to pursuing carbon neutrality.  According to The Princeton Review, 69% of students entering college in 2011 said environmental commitment would influence their choice of school.

About Clean Air-Cool Planet:
Founded in 1999, Clean Air-Cool Planet's mission is to accelerate the transition to sustainable communities through models of climate mitigation and adaptation that will inspire leadership and catalyze effective climate policies. We work collaboratively with campuses, communities and corporations to pioneer and scale-up innovative solutions aimed at reducing carbon emissions and preparing for climate change, and to build support for environmentally effective and economically efficient national climate policies.  We have more than 12 years' experience working with the full range of campus stakeholders on sustainability issues, and have a reputation among college stakeholders for innovation, collaboration and quality program delivery.  www.cleanair-coolplanet.org

About the Verizon Foundation:
The Verizon Foundation helps people to live healthy, safe and independent lives by addressing disparities in education, health care and sustainability. Since 2000, the Verizon Foundation has invested more than half a billion dollars to improve the communities where Verizon employees work and live.  Verizon's employees are generous with their donations and their time, having logged more than 6.2 million hours of service to make a positive difference in their communities. For more information about Verizon's philanthropic work, visit www.verizonfoundation.org. 

SOURCE Clean Air-Cool Planet