Adding a Nitrogen Footprint to Colorado State University’s Sustainability Plan

Kimiecik, Jacob; Weinmann, Timothy; Taylor, Emily

doi:10.1089/sus.2017.29091.jk

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Substance flow analysis (SFA) allows for the quantification of Nr flows throughout processes driven by human consumption, and the approach can identify Nr hot spots and losses to the environment; thus, SFA provides an important tool for the transition toward sustainable Nr management. Moreover, the input of anthropogenic Nr is mainly required to meet human demands for food, energy, and nonfood goods; therefore, highlighting the key roles of human consumption is particularly important. , These human drivers are critical regulators of Nr flows and the associated spatial interactions, as the environmental system is most directly affected by anthropogenic perturbations. ,, The conceptual framework of an “N footprint” was developed to provide a tool to determine the contribution of an entity to Nr losses to the environment from personal resource uses. , The N footprint has become a well-established method for describing how human activities impose various types of burdens and impacts on the life support systems of Earth and showing how changing behavior patterns have altered Nr losses in recent years. ,− The underlying calculation methods and corresponding indicators for the N footprint method have gained increasing public attention and been applied at several scales. ,− …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

From Production to Consumption: A Coupled Human–Environmental Nitrogen Flow Analysis in China

Luo

Chen

et al. 2018

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Anthropogenic inputs of reactive nitrogen (Nr) provide sufficient food, energy, and industrial products to meet human demands; however, only a fraction of Nr is consumed as food and nonfood goods, and the rest is lost to the environment and negatively affects ecosystems. High-resolution studies of nitrogen flows are invaluable to increase nitrogen use efficiencies and reduce environmental emissions. In this study, a comprehensive substance flow analysis of nitrogen for China in 2014 is presented. Based on the conceptual framework, which highlights the key roles of human drivers, the analysis of the synthetic ammonia supply and demand balance shows that 75% of ammonia is used for agricultural purposes. Moreover, the life cycle analysis of food nitrogen shows that human food consumption accounts for approximately 7% of the total Nr inputs. A quantitative analysis of pollutant emissions shows that industrial and crop production are the main sources of atmospheric emissions, while livestock farming and crop production are the main sources of water emissions. Finally, we investigate four scenarios (efficiency improvement, high recycling rate, nitrogen oxide emission reduction, and a combined scenario) and provide relevant policy recommendations (large farm size, standardized agricultural production model, flue gas denitration, etc.) for improving nitrogen management practices.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

From Production to Consumption: A Coupled Human–Environmental Nitrogen Flow Analysis in China

Luo

Chen

et al. 2018

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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“…Core campus activities make up just 46 percent of CSU's total N footprint; the remainder (54%) is a result of agricultural research. 16 Excluding the agricultural research sector would miss an important sector for nitrogen losses for CSU. However, including agriculture could be misleading when comparing it to other institutions.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Defining System Boundaries of an Institution Nitrogen Footprint

Reguera

Castner

Galloway

et al. 2017

Sustainability: The Journal of Record

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A nitrogen (N) footprint quantifies the amount of reactive nitrogen released to the environment and can be measured at different scales. The N footprint of a university includes activities and consumption within its geographic boundaries as well as activities that support the institution. Determining system bounds of an N footprint depends on the institution's mission and provides a common baseline for comparison. A comparison of three scopes of the N footprint, which describe how emissions are directly related to an institution's activities, was conducted for seven institutions. Scopes follow the established definition for the carbon footprint. In this article, the authors propose a new system bounds definition (core campus versus adjunct). Two case studies were explored: how the N footprint of Dickinson College changed with air travel, and how the N footprint of the Marine Biological Laboratory changed with scientific research. Of the three scopes, scope 3 was consistently the largest proportion of the N footprint for all seven institutions. The core campus activities of Dickinson College made up 99 percent of its N footprint, with air travel making up the remaining 1 percent. The Marine Biological Laboratory's core campus activities made up 51 percent of its N footprint and the scientific research made up the remaining 49 percent. Institutions should define system bounds based on their mission and stay consistent with their boundaries following the baseline year. The core campus footprint could be used to compare institution footprints using consistent system bounds. How institutions define their boundaries will impact the recorded amount of nitrogen as well as how the institution will set reduction strategies.

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“…Colorado State University plans to address its N footprint with an official reduction goal, which will integrate the strategies from its Climate Action Plan with several actions focused on the N footprint. 17 …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Reduction efforts at the institutions included in this article are discussed in greater detail elsewhere. 8 , 11 , 17 …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Nitrogen Footprint Tool Network: A Multi-Institution Program To Reduce Nitrogen Pollution

Castner

Leach

Leary

et al. 2017

Sustainability: The Journal of Record

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Anthropogenic sources of reactive nitrogen have local and global impacts on air and water quality and detrimental effects on human and ecosystem health. This article uses the Nitrogen Footprint Tool (NFT) to determine the amount of nitrogen (N) released as a result of institutional consumption. The sectors accounted for include food (consumption and upstream production), energy, transportation, fertilizer, research animals, and agricultural research. The NFT is then used for scenario analysis to manage and track reductions, which are driven by the consumption behaviors of both the institution itself and its constituent individuals. In this article, the first seven completed institution nitrogen footprint results are presented. The Nitrogen Footprint Tool Network aims to develop footprints for many institutions to encourage widespread upper-level management strategies that will create significant reductions in reactive nitrogen released to the environment. Energy use and food purchases are the two largest sectors contributing to institution nitrogen footprints. Ongoing efforts by institutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions also help to reduce the nitrogen footprint, but the impact of food production on nitrogen pollution has not been directly addressed by the higher education sustainability community. The Nitrogen Footprint Tool Network found that institutions could reduce their nitrogen footprints by optimizing food purchasing to reduce consumption of animal products and minimize food waste, as well as by reducing dependence on fossil fuels for energy.

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Adding a Nitrogen Footprint to Colorado State University’s Sustainability Plan

Cited by 5 publications

References 5 publications

From Production to Consumption: A Coupled Human–Environmental Nitrogen Flow Analysis in China

From Production to Consumption: A Coupled Human–Environmental Nitrogen Flow Analysis in China

Defining System Boundaries of an Institution Nitrogen Footprint

The Nitrogen Footprint Tool Network: A Multi-Institution Program To Reduce Nitrogen Pollution

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