Middlebury College commits to 100 percent renewable energy

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. (AP) — Vermont's Middlebury College is committing itself to getting 100 percent of its energy needs from renewable sources within a decade.

As part of the plan approved unanimously by the college's Board of Trustees over the weekend, the college plans to eliminate within 15 years fossil fuel investments in the school's $1 billion endowment.

Middlebury President Laurie L. Patton says the plan is "bold and aspirational while remaining realistic and highly practical."

The college's on-campus biomass plant, which mainly burns locally produced wood chips, meets most of the heating and cooling needs for those buildings that are connected to it. The facility also generates 15 to 20 percent of Middlebury's electricity.