Efficiency First: How Weber State University Cuts Carbon and Costs -- Justin Owen

Weber State University set a carbon neutral target of 2040 and has spent 15 years working toward it with efficiency, electrification, and renewable sourcing. Justin Owen, Director of Utilities and Sustainability at Weber State University, walks through the specifics: half the campus electrified, two and a half megawatts of solar, ground source wells under parking lots, and a revolving loan fund now generating around $3 million in cost reduction. He is a Weber State alum who started as an hourly student worker, and he explains why housing sustainability inside facilities changed what the team could get done.

Chapters:

00:03 Welcome to Green Shoots and Big Shifts

00:54 Weber State's carbon neutral goal for 2040

01:40 Campus size and location in Ogden, Utah

01:55 Justin's path from pre med to sustainability

03:20 Early adopters: the 2007 climate commitment

04:31 The president signs on, facilities figures it out

05:14 Measuring the baseline and finding low hanging fruit

05:57 The central heating problem and electrification

07:26 How ground source fields work at Weber State

08:58 Life cycle, learning environment, and per room thermostats