Plans are underway to replace 22 oil-powered boilers that use 50,000 gallons of dirty, unpredictably priced oil, with a campus heating system that will burn woodchips, a sustainable logging by-product. This will reduce our campus’s reliance on oil by 90% putting the college closer to its commitment to carbon neutrality by 2020.
Goddard has dedicated more than $600,000 to the woodchip project, planned since 2011. A request for a low-interest loan has been submitted to the U.S. Department of Agriculture to cover most of the $2.1 million project cost going forward. Thanks to the Plainfield Select Board who, after a special meeting at the Town Hall, signed a letter of community support for this loan application. We expect to hear from the USDA in May.
We’re also looking to raise funds this summer and fall so we can begin saving money on heating the college, while reducing our environmental impact, this winter. We look forward to sharing more about this project and fundraising campaign in the near future. For more information, please contact Gerard Holmes.