Goucher College Announces Decarbonization and Sustainability Initiatives in Partnership with the Maryland Clean Energy Center and NORESCO

Goucher College has announced a strategic partnership with the Maryland Clean Energy Center (MCEC) and NORESCO, LLC (NORESCO) in a significant step toward advancing decarbonization and improving energy efficiency. This collaboration is a key component of the institution’s larger Campus Master Plan, which places sustainability and accessibility at the forefront. Through this partnership, Goucher intends to modernize an aging central utility plant with state-of-the-art equipment, and more energy-efficient systems, as well as explore opportunities to update lighting, windows, roofing, and other building elements that should drastically decrease energy usage. Work that will be completed through an Energy Performance Contract with NORESCO is anticipated to play an integral role in making needed campus improvements while simultaneously reducing Goucher’s operating costs.

“Goucher College has long been known as a leader in innovation and sustainability. We are now poised to transform our campus and take this bold next step toward achieving our goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2035,” said Goucher College President Kent Devereaux. “We are proud to partner with MCEC and NORESCO on this initiative.”

MCEC works to increase clean energy jobs, drive commercialization of climate-related technological innovations, and enable equitable adoption of clean energy products and services to reduce greenhouse gas emissions throughout the state of Maryland. MCEC strategically invests in projects that equitably reduce energy burden and minimize the cost of energy while building capacity and elevating the work of those making headway toward greenhouse gas reduction.

“We are pleased to support Goucher in efforts to reduce the carbon emissions from buildings and facilities on campus. This Energy Performance Contract, enabled through this partnership, allows for faster implementation with advantageous financing,” said Katherine Magruder, executive director for the Maryland Clean Energy Center. “MCEC procurement and technical support is available to public and private schools or universities who want to improve building energy performance while reducing costs and emissions.”

NORESCO, a part of Carrier Global Corporation, helps clients adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change by decarbonizing, modernizing and electrifying aging infrastructure to be more sustainable and resilient. By deploying innovative distributed energy, storage, and renewable energy solutions, NORESCO improves the health and efficiency of existing campuses, buildings and communities. To date, NORESCO has guaranteed more than $5 billion

in energy and operating cost savings at more than 10,000 facilities while reducing customer CO2 emissions by more than 25 million metric tons – the equivalent to planting 1.4 million acres of forest.

Through Energy Performance Contracting (EPC), Goucher will work with NORESCO to implement a comprehensive set of energy efficiency, renewable energy, and distributed generation measures. EPC is a financing technique that uses cost savings from reduced energy and water consumption to repay the cost of installing energy conservation measures.

“NORESCO is excited to partner with MCEC to help Goucher College meet the challenges of the energy transition and build upon its already impressive culture of sustainability in a way that further distinguishes it from competing institutions,” said Darcy Immerman, senior vice president, strategy & growth, NORESCO.

As part of the sustainable development and the Campus Master Plan, Goucher is prioritizing a commitment to carbon neutrality, promoting circularity with water systems, adapting campus landscapes to improve health and increase biodiversity, promoting physical, emotional, and cognitive well-being through campus design, minimizing waste through campus operations, and incorporating education and applied learning opportunities in all aspects of sustainability.

Goucher’s focus on environmental sustainability has earned the college a place on The Princeton Review’s list of Top 50 Green Colleges and extends beyond the campus infrastructure and into the classroom. The college’s growing undergraduate programs include a major and minor in environmental studies, with concentrations in environmental science or environment and society, and a new M.A. in environmental sustainability and management graduate degree program that combines natural and social sciences courses into a cohesive framework.

Named one of the best national liberal arts colleges, most innovative colleges, and best colleges for study abroad by U.S. News & World Report, Goucher College provides the academic and career experience that helps students become who they are meant to be. Located in Baltimore, Maryland, Goucher believes in the power of global education and offers flexible study abroad programs at no additional cost. With a range of in-demand programs and small class sizes, the core curriculum equips students to collaboratively address complex problems, successfully navigate a global economy, and tackle humanity’s most pressing issues. For more information, please visit www.goucher.edu and follow Goucher College on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and TikTok.