Each year at Utica College, a tiny pot of money stands as a kind of symbol of where the college hopes to go and how close it sits to the edge. In a $55-million budget, after the college has paid its employees, heating bills, and other expenses, about $150,000 is left over for what the college calls its initiative fund. Todd S. Hutton, the college's president, would like to see that $150,000 pot grow, and he thinks he has found one of the few places where the college could make some money back: energy efficiency. The author examines how Utica and other small colleges struggle to pay for projects that ultimately save money.