Campus Sustainability Report 2022-2023: Transforming Our Operations

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Lafayette College has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 41.5% compared to its 2007 baseline. To account for 100% of Scope 2 emissions, Lafayette purchased 34,000 megawatt hours of Renewable Energy Credits. The increase in scope 3 emissions can be attributed to a readjustment of calculation inputs, which included the addition of purchased goods and services, capital goods, and fuel-and energy-related activities. 

Waste Minimization and Diversion

In 2022-2023, 20% of waste from campus was diverted from the landfill. Our waste diversion increased through efforts to improve recycling awareness, reduce food waste, and promote circularity of materials through the Green Move Out cycle. The Climate Action Plan 2.0 sets a goal of 40% waste diversion by 2030 and 60% by 2035. Reaching this goal will require increased diversion through e-waste collection, capture of compostables, liquid waste disposal in key areas, and improving bin infrastructure and the process of how items move through the waste stream before leaving campus. Waste minimization through eliminating one time use disposable items and promoting smart purchasing practices will also be crucial. 

Landscape Management

Lafayette College has a Sustainable Landscaping Policy, which works to establish a standard for ecologically minded landscaping decisions on campus. The Policy requires all new plantings to be native. This year, Sustainable Impact Fellows, made possible by an endowment fund sponsored by Heidi Ludwick Hanson ‘91, allowed students, Madison Lebish ‘23 (spring/fall) and Sithandokuhle Ncube ‘25 (summer) to inventory, update plaques, and map over 200 of the college’s trees to update the existing documentation from 2013. This continued project will provide resources to better understand ecological impact and further engage the campus community on the natural surroundings of our environment. Facilities Operations also repurposed landscape materials, such as leaves and grass clippings for mulch and soil materials, this year diverting 145 tons.

Sustainable Food Loop

Lafayette’s 3-acre farm, LaFarm, provides local produce for campus dining halls, the seasonal on-campus market, and the surrounding community. LaFarm’s goal is to help close the food loop on campus, with food grown at the farm, provided to students, and compost from food waste to be used for fertilization back at the farm. This year, Lafayette opened a new greenhouse made possible through support from Heidi Ludwick Hanson ‘91, Daniel Hanson, and Capital Blue Cross. In addition to expanded production capacity and season extension, with 26,000 seedlings grown in the greenhouse in 2023, the greenhouse allowed LaFarm to host its 1st annual Spring Plant sale using a pay-what-you-can model to encourage community members to grow food themselves.

2023 by the numbers at LaFarm:

• 18,800+ pounds of produce distributed
• 15 courses incorporated the farm into their syllabus
• 1,500 hours dedicated by 1,000+ volunteers and visitors
• 80+ campus and community events
• 25% of all students engage with LaFarm

Additionally, campus feedback led the way to launch of Leopard Leftovers, a program to notify campus of leftover food from events, and the relaunch of the Food Recovery Network, a student club that worked to distribute over 750 pounds of prepared foods to a local homeless shelter. 

• Achievements:
  • Gold rating through the sustainability tracking, assessment & rating system (STARS)
• Standards:
  • 100% of new construction and large renovations to meet LEED silver or higher standards
  • 100% native species for new plantings, including 8,000 square feet of new native plantings
• Status: 
  • 2 pollinator gardens
  • 60 water bottle refill stations with 475,000+ plastic water bottles diverted
  • 540MWh/annum produced by on-campus solar array
  • 90% of bird collisions reduced through installation of bird saver technology