Ball State University participates in the Second Nature (SN) Carbon Credit Purchasing Program (C2P2). Carbon reductions are transacted on the Voluntary Carbon Market as a means of funding the steps needed to achieve the carbon reduction goal.
The Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Project Database documentation can be found here.
This program started back in 2013 when Ball State collaborated with the Chevrolet Carbon Reduction Initiative (CRI), Climate Neutral Business Network, Verified Carbon Standard (VCS), Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) and Steftelsen Det Norske Veritas in researching and piloting a new methodology whereby colleges and universities can access the Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM) to drive carbon reduction more deeply; to reach more quickly their American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment of climate neutrality.
Chevrolet established the CRI to promote clean energy projects throughout the country. Realizing that there was not a useful means for colleges and universities to access the VCM they turned to the collaborators noted above to examine the needs of the Higher Education sector and develop the tools that would enable participation by that sector in the VCM.
Ball State University was the first university to step forward to engage in the needed research and to pilot the implementation of the qualifying methodology; whereby universities performing in the upper national percentile of clean energy and energy efficiency projects qualified for the support from Chevrolet and then extend their carbon market participation beyond that initial investment.
Under the university’s contract with BEF, Ball State is published a report on its experience, discoveries and recommendations regarding the use of the VCS to drive carbon reduction more deeply. The research report is available for download here.