AMC has committed to an energy diet, with a goal of reducing its carbon footprint by 15 percent over the next five years. (Think "15 by '15.") Longer term, the goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent over the next four decades.

Those are sizable cuts, but AMC Facilities Director Paul Cunha believes they’re achievable, and in line with the organization’s conservation leadership role. At the same time, the club will likely save some greenbacks while being green.

"AMC has been in the energy conservation field for a long time, in part because of our [off-the-grid] hut situation, and also in part because we haven’t forgotten the last energy crisis. Therefore, we are investing in efficiency," says Cunha, who also serves as head of the staff Green Team.

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For information on how to reduce your carbon footprint, visit www.cleanair-coolplanet.org.

AMC is working with nonprofit colleague Clean Air-Cool Planet to develop a climate action  plan and has made use of that organization’s "Campus Climate Calculator" in determining the impact of AMC’s operations in Boston, New Hampshire, and the Delaware Water Gap. Maine locations are to be added as well. The tool has also been used by such educational institutions as Smith College, Harvard, and Tufts.

"A measurement of carbon as a byproduct of fossil fuels has become the means by which to measure one’s contribution to climate change," says Cunha. "Generally speaking, this is a reduction of 2 percent a year for 40 years, but we’ve recognized that there is more opportunity initially, and we’re currently running about 4 to 8 percent."

One recent example of how AMC is reducing its environmental impact while achieving economic efficiencies lies in a 2009 lighting upgrade at Boston headquarters, an effort that is projected to save 11,000 kilowatt hours and $1,650 per year. The annual carbon reductions from just this one project? Eight metric tons. That’s the equivalent of taking 1-1/2 passenger cars off the road.

With some $200,000 already invested in recent energy efficiency projects, on-the-ground initiatives have included replacing old boilers with condensing units at Pinkham Notch, installing a solar water pre-heat system at Cardigan Lodge, and a 40 percent reduction in staff business travel, with more projects in the pipeline.

In a related effort, AMC’s Research Department looked at guest travel to and from AMC’s New Hampshire lodging destinations and found a carbon footprint half again as large as its operational footprint. That poses a challenge, says AMC Research Director Kenneth Kimball, since AMC "champions both the reduction of air pollution emissions and getting people outside for healthy, active recreation." He suggests checking chapter trip listings for mass transit and carpooling options, using AMC’s hiker shuttle and online ride-share bulletin board at www.outdoors.org/ridesharing. That way, he says, "you can save yourself some travel dollars while getting out on your next outdoor expedition and do the environment a favor at the same time." Kimball also notes that AMC is jointly studying options to reduce the travel footprint of White Mountain National Forest visitors with the U.S. Forest Service, Plymouth State University, and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Volpe Transportation Center.