Duke University
Tier2-2: Local Offsets Program

Duke University established the Duke Carbon Offsets Initiative in 2009 to develop the University’s strategy for meeting its offset goals in a way that provides significant local environmental, economic, and societal co-benefits beyond the benefits of greenhouse gas emission reductions. These goals include generating approximately 180,000 tons CO2e in emission reductions (approximately 55% of the University's emissions baseline) by the 2024 and annually thereafter to meet the University's climate neutrality commitment, to supply the internal University community with offsets in the near term, and to serve as a resource for other universities, particularly those in the Southeast, that are interested in generating or purchasing offsets. The Initiative works both within Duke University and outside the University with other institutions and partners to build meaningful offset projects and to facilitate and catalyze the development of other offset projects and offset market transactions. The Offsets Initiative has prioritized swine-based agricultural methane projects as its first major project type, with forestry and energy efficiency following close behind. The University has focused on swine first because of the high number of swine farms in the state and opportunity they present to eliminate a significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions in ways that will generate renewable energy and solve other major pollution problems. Currently, the Initiative is partnering with Duke Energy and a North Carolina farm to pilot the first anaerobic-digester based innovative swine waste management system. The system will control greenhouse gas emissions from a working farm by capturing methane from the animal waste and generating renewable energy by combusting the methane in a microturbine. Use of an innovative system means that in addition to the GHG reductions and renewable energy production, the farm must meet stringent environmental performance standards that require substantial reductions in farm ammonia emissions, pathogens, nutrients, odors and metals and eliminates discharge of waste into surface and groundwater. With respect to forestry-based offset projects, the University is evaluating opportunities to develop projects involving afforestation, avoided conversion and improved forest management. Energy efficiency projects are expected to involve support and development of community-service and small-business oriented energy efficiency projects. In addition to forestry and energy efficiency, the Offsets Initiative is evaluating the efficacy of pursuing offsets in organic waste digestion and composting. In addition to these specific projects, the Offsets Initiative has been working with a small group of colleges and universities who receive support from The Duke Endowment foundation to assist them in evaluating offset projects and strategies.