Carbon Reduction Challenge shows why sustainability is good for business

How do you reduce the carbon footprint of a brewery, where literal canisters of carbon dioxide are needed to do everything from carbonate beer to pressurize kegs and bottles?

That was the challenge presented to a team of students in UB’s Carbon Reduction Challenge course.

They came up with an innovative proposal for East Aurora-based 42 North Brewing: a carbon-recapture system that could reduce the brewer’s total emissions by 38%. 

Yet their work wasn’t done. They also needed to crunch the numbers to see if this sustainable move was also the right financial move. 

While the recapture system would cost approximately $70,000 to install, the students estimated it would pay for itself in five-and-a-half years by eliminating purchases of CO2 canisters.

“I’ve always believed sustainability is the right choice,” said sustainability leadership graduate student Genevieve Fontana, who worked on the project with environmental engineering major Em Navarrete. “Through this class, I’ve come to understand that it’s also a smart business strategy.”

This and other business-friendly climate action plans were presented Tuesday in UB’s GRoW Clean Energy Center to cap off this semester’s Carbon Reduction Challenge. Now through five iterations of the class, 70 students from various degree programs have worked directly with 25 Western New York businesses and organizations to propose more than 400,000 metric tons of annual carbon savings. 

“Some of these strategies require a lot of money and planning, so we make sure students are pitching to their client in a way that will resonate with that client,” said Elizabeth Thomas, associate professor in the Department of Earth Sciences.

“Students, especially those in science and engineering backgrounds, may be more comfortable speaking about metric ton equivalents of CO2, but if you want to effect real change, you’re going to have to speak dollars and cents,” added Chief Sustainability Officer Ryan McPherson, who co-teaches the course with Thomas.

Students presented their climate action plans for local businesses to a panel of leading sustainability business professionals from Rich Products, National Grid and ThinkPARALLAX.

One frequent proposal across the plans was moving toward electrification by switching from natural gas to heat pumps and geothermal systems. Students admitted the initial upfront installation is costly but noted that there are numerous tax credits available. They also said the systems will eventually pay for themselves in about five years and then create additional savings.

“The road to carbon neutrality may seem like a long one, but it is one worth investing in,” said environmental sciences major Connor Dillon, who worked with Buffalo manufacturer Rigidized Metals.

Junior environmental studies major Madison Schubert presented a plan for the East Aurora Union Free School District. Short-term proposals included improving building insulation, transitioning to electric landscaping equipment and pursuing power purchase agreements. Long term, she suggested more transformative ideas, like electrifying the vehicle fleet and installing a solar field.

Schubert wants to one day work as a chief sustainability officer in a corporate setting, so the idea of working with actual businesses attracted her to the course. 

“The biggest takeaway for me has been the importance of tailoring sustainability strategies to fit the specific needs and resources of each community,” she said. “It’s one thing to know what solutions exist, but another to figure out how to make them practical and achievable for a school district or organization.”

Feedback was positive from the businesses. 42 North co-owner Fred Fellendorf said the plan that Fontana and Navarrete created was “spot on” for the brewery’s brand and culture.

“It’s also appropriate from a business perspective and, frankly, a smart path for our company to follow,” he said. 

East Aurora Superintendent Brian Russ said Schubert and her partner, urban planning graduate student Elliot Lear, brought in their own ideas while still taking the time to learn about the district and listen to its plans. 

 “We are eagerly anticipating implementing their ideas — both to save money but also to lessen our environmental impact — most especially the ones that our students can help us achieve,” Russ said. 

Students also took time to highlight what sustainable steps their businesses are already doing:

• 42 North donates thousands of pounds a week of spent grain to a local farmer who uses it to feed pigs and cows. 
• East Aurora has a sustainable agriculture program, including a micro-farm.
• Rigidized Metals has reduced the amount of paper it uses by 75% since 2016 and wooden pallets are recycled into playground wood chips.
• The Chautauqua Institution’s Athenaeum Hotel already has renovations planned that will reduce emissions, including updating windows and installing more efficient appliances. 
• Ciminelli Real Estate is using sustainability software to track its emissions and find ways to be more energy-efficient.

One of the panelists asked why, if students’ proposed actions could save additional money, aren’t the companies already doing them.

“I guess because it’s complicated,” said engineering sustainability graduate student Dmitriy Sokolov, whose group worked with Ciminelli, which owns more than 800 properties. “I think it’s just a lot of work. It’s not easy, but the rewards would be great.”