College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, already regarded as the “greenest” college in the world, has now become the first to claim that it is carbon neutral.

Being carbon neutral would mean COA has effectively eliminated all of its carbon dioxide emissions, a primary driver of global warming.

First, it reduced its energy use in a variety of ways, from replacing incandescent light bulbs with fluorescent ones to promoting carpools and bicycle use.

Then, the college invested money in a project that it says will eliminate enough additional energy waste to offset any remaining emissions here. The project in this case involves coordinating traffic lights in Portland, Ore., so that cars and trucks don’t idle as much and burn less fuel. The college’s investment is expected to translate into a reduction of nearly 200,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions in the next five years.

The announcement is sure to get COA even more praise for raising the bar for other schools. Not everyone will be impressed, no doubt.

There are plenty of critics who say true carbon neutrality is impossible and that buying offsets is a cop-out for those who can afford the luxury. Of course, those people probably aren’t applying for enrollment at COA anyway.

E-mail this entry to a friend