Paul Smith’s College announced Wednesday that it will purchase wind-generated power to provide all of its electricity, joining just a handful of colleges and universities nationwide to do so.

The College will purchase the electricity from Community Energy Inc., a Pennsylvania-based wind-energy marketer and developer. “Purchasing renewable energy is an important step that the College can take to preserve our natural resources,” said John Mills, president of Paul Smith’s College. “Being the College of the Adirondacks also means providing environmental leadership. Every day, the threats posed by climate change and our reliance on fossil fuels create more tangible dangers. We’re excited to take this step and hope that others might follow.” As part of the switch to wind power, Paul Smith’s has joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partnership program. As of March 30, just 13 other colleges and universities in the partnership relied entirely on renewables for their electricity needs.

“Paul Smith’s College has stepped up as a leader in New York,” said Brent Alderfer, president of Community energy. “Their renewable energy purchase puts their energy dollars to work to benefit the state economically and environmentally. As more customers choose to follow their lead and purchase renewable energy, we can bring more clean power resources online to meet that demand.” Because of the nature of the electric grid, the actual wind-generated electrons the College purchases won’t be delivered to campus. However, the renewable-energy credits bought by Paul Smith’s will ensure that an amount of power equivalent to the College’s energy use is
generated by clean, renewable wind.

Based on its past usage, the College expects to purchase 3,625 megawatt-hours of electricity a year. When that electricity is generated using renewable resources rather than fossil fuels, it offsets approximately 5 million pounds of carbon dioxide per year. That’s equivalent to planting more than 341,109 trees, or removing 357 cars from the road.

In addition to the green energy purchase, Paul Smith’s is pursuing several other initiatives to preserve the environment. This semester, waste from the campus’ culinary labs is being composted at a nearby farm, and officials are examining the feasibility of integrating green building principles and strategies on campus construction projects. Additionally, the College community will be among hundreds nationwide hosting a Step It Up rally this Saturday, an action aimed at encouraging Congress to reduce carbon emissions. Megan Veley, 19, a sophomore from Ithaca, N.Y., who is helping to organize the campus’ Step It Up rally, said she was heartened by the College’s decision.

“Small actions lead to big things,” said Veley, who is majoring in natural resource management and policy. “It’s very encouraging to know that there’s something being done and we’re taking a step forward to help the
environment.”