Conserving diverse forestland for carbon offsetting and environmental education.
Middlebury College, one of the oldest liberal arts colleges in the United States, has pledged to achieve carbon neutrality each year. As part of this commitment, the college built a biomass gasification plant and installed solar and wind facilities to reduce reliance on traditional fuel sources and cut carbon emissions.
is prioritised by the college
as forests around the river act as natural water filters
home to the cabin where poet Robert Frost wrote during the summer
from being released into the atmosphere on average each year
in Vermont's Green Mountains
Bluesource and Middlebury also launched an Improved Forest Management project on over 2,500 acres of forest in the Green Mountains of central Vermont. The project ensures the long-term conservation and sustainable management of the forest, putting an end to all commercial timber harvesting on the land. It promotes natural forest growth, healthy wildlife habitats and prevents future compromise of the forest’s carbon stocks.
This is a pioneering project which promotes the significance of carbon offsetting and environmental education in the U.S. As well as mitigating over 11,000 tonnes of carbon emissions per year and boosting endemic wildlife through the conservation of their natural habitat, it demonstrates sustainable forest management to students and the surrounding community alike. Rather than ravaging the land for timber, the project protects the wilds of the forest and, in turn, the community gains freshwater supply, enhanced biodiversity and an improved global climate.
