Abstract
Concern over the ecological damage of excess nitrogen has brought increased attention to the role of research institutions and universities in contributing to this problem. Institutions often utilize the concept of the ecological ‘footprint’ to quantify and track nitrogen emissions resulting from their activities and guide plans and commitments to reduce emissions. Often, large-scale changes and commitments to reduce nitrogen footprints are not feasible at small institutions due to monetary and manpower constraints. We partnered with managers in the dining and facilities departments at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL), a small research institution in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, to develop five low-effort strategies to address nitrogen emissions at the institution using only resources currently available within those departments. Each proposed strategy achieved emissions reductions in their sector and in the overall nitrogen footprint of the MBL. If all modelled strategies are applied simultaneously, the MBL can achieve a 7.7% decrease in its nitrogen footprint. Managers at MBL considered strategies that required no monetary input most feasible. The intersection of carbon and nitrogen emissions also means the modelled strategies had the co-benefit of reducing the MBL’s carbon footprint, strengthening the argument for applying these strategies. This paper may serve as a model for similar institutions looking to reduce the ecological impact of their activities.
Highlights
Nitrogen is essential to all living organisms but human activities are increasingly altering the nitrogen cycle at a global scale
A nitrogen footprint enables an entity to understand their role in the global nitrogen cycle, quantify the scope and scale of its nitrogen emissions, and monitor changes over time (Galloway et al 2014, Castner et al 2017)
The primary goal of this study is to explore a bottom up approach aimed at identifying ‘low-effort’ strategies and assessing their effectiveness at reducing institutional nitrogen footprints
Summary
Nitrogen is essential to all living organisms but human activities are increasingly altering the nitrogen cycle at a global scale. Excess nitrogen causes a cascade of changes as it moves through the environment with damaging effects on human and ecosystem health These include acid rain, smog, stratospheric ozone depletion, biodiversity loss and coastal eutrophication (Galloway et al 2003, 2008, Erisman et al 2008). Important to mitigating the damaging effects of excess nitrogen is addressing the sources of pollution Critical to this process is connecting entities, from individuals to entire countries, directly to nitrogen losses to the environment as a result of their resource use. A nitrogen footprint enables an entity to understand their role in the global nitrogen cycle, quantify the scope and scale of its nitrogen emissions, and monitor changes over time (Galloway et al 2014, Castner et al 2017). As concern over the environmental impact of their activities has increased, universities and other academic and research institutions have begun to leverage the nitrogen footprint to identify activities that contribute to their nitrogen emissions and where actions that reduce those emissions can be applied
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