Swarthmore College has been on the front lines in green technology as it looks for ways to heat, cool and power its campus without fossil fuel, writes Inga Saffron for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Last year, it installed an underground geo-exchange loop system that can heat and cool eight buildings without fossil fuels. It replaces a century-old steam plant and starts operating in November.

The college also has a new dining hall, designed by DLR Group, which has rooftop solar panels and a mass timber frame, a low-carbon alternative to steel or concrete.

The college hopes to be using only renewable energy, and be carbon-neutral, by 2035.

Swarthmore started looking at its carbon footprint in 2010 and increased sustainability efforts in 2016 after the U.S. pulled out of the Paris climate accords.

That led to Swarthmore creating a Zero To Thirty-Five planning map for sustainability.

Geo-exchange sucks heat out of buildings in the summer and channels it into the earth, stored in a pipe network.  In the winter, the warm air is pumped back into the buildings.

Swarthmore is also looking at its food, adding more plant-based options and setting up a compost system, working toward zero waste.

Read more detail about changes Swarthmore College as it works toward its non-fossil-fuel goal in The Philadelphia Inquirer.