As we now know, the climate is changing, and humans are the primary cause of that change through greenhouse gas emissions into our atmosphere.

While the effects of climate change are much worse in many other parts of the world, where people are experiencing life-threatening wildfires, droughts and floods, our region is still seeing many local effects.

One of the patterns observed in all of New England, not just on the Rindge campus, is increased heavy precipitation events. This was evident through the flooding and complete washout of nearby Ingalls Road in July 2021.

There are also warmer days lasting into the fall seasoning, putting extra strain on cooling systems. There has been a decrease in cold days in the wintertime, leading to less snow and fewer days with safe ice on Pearly Pond. This has directly affected the amount of time students can take part in winter recreation events on campus such as tubing on Manor Lawn or skating and playing pond hockey.

Franklin Pierce University has responded to this notable change in our climate and campus life through educational programs, as well as changes in our infrastructure and policies.

At Franklin Pierce, there are many educational opportunities focused on climate change and its solutions. This includes the Climate Action certificate, where students partake in five courses and a project, gaining a specialized knowledge and skill set needed to address the crisis of human-caused climate change, with courses including Climate Science and Solutions.

Franklin Pierce University recognizes that climate change far exceeds just the field of science. The university has made it an important component to most of the 100-level science courses that count for general education credits, as well as some humanities courses, so students beyond those in the environmental science and policy program are gaining valuable knowledge about climate change science, the impacts and possible solutions.

On campus, students can also join the Institute for Climate Action, established in 2018, continuing the work of the former Sustainability Council in place since 2007. The Institute for Climate Action is an organization made up of Franklin Pierce students, faculty, staff and local community members from the Monadnock region who are interested in increasing awareness of climate change and working on solutions that can be implemented at FPU and in the surrounding area.

The institute has played pivotal roles in advocating for green-energy systems on our Fieldhouse and refining our campus’s recycling system, as well as writing and editing Franklin Pierce’s Climate Action Plan.

In mid-2020, the university entered into a partnership agreement with Revision Energy, which allowed for installation of 490 solar panels, with the final commissioning taking place in late fall 2021. Since then, the 162-kilowatt solar array has helped reduce the university’s energy use, and adds to the other efforts already underway to improve energy efficiency.

Those changes and upgrades include wood-pellet heating systems for the large residence halls and the airframe athletic building, a Level 2 EV charging station on campus and LED lighting is installed in most parts of campus, as well as energy-saving heat pumps in all newly constructed buildings and energy-efficient washers and dryers in the residence halls.

In addition, the university’s 161-kilowatt photovoltaic system prevented 181,789 pounds of carbon dioxide from entering our atmosphere within its first year of operation.

Franklin Pierce has also implemented many policies pertaining to climate action, including an energy conservation messaging about lights, heating and closing windows and other points of possible drafts during the wintertime. The Climate Action Plan for the university continues to be reviewed and updated, with latest version was completed by Rachel Ranelli from the Class of 2023 in 2022.

University leadership recommitted to the American College and University Presidents Commitment to climate action back in 2017, and there is a campus-wide energy audit currently in process. The results of the audit will help identify opportunities for energy efficiency as related to heating, cooling and electricity on campus, all supporting efforts to make the Rindge campus greener, cleaner, and more energy-efficient.

David Talbot is a member of the Franklin Pierce University Class of 2025, and an Institute for Climate Action senior intern.