Ambitious Climate Action Plan Details Carbon Neutrality by 2050

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - An ambitious Carbon Action Plan will help move the University of Maryland towards carbon neutrality by 2050. Endorsed by the University Senate and President C.D. Mote, Jr. this month, the plan lays out in clear terms how Maryland will reach carbon neutrality by improving energy efficiency and conservation, investing in new technologies and integrating sustainability into campus research, teaching and service.

"Climate change presents us with an imperative for action and innovation," said Mote, who signed the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment in May 2007. To date, more than 650 college and university presidents have signed the Commitment.

To develop Maryland's plan, more than 50 students, faculty, and staff closely examined the University's diverse operations and activities. The result was a series of recommendations that included ways for the campus to reduce its energy use, lower its carbon footprint, educate students about climate change and sustainability, and direct research towards pressing environmental challenges. The plan presents more than 40 strategies related to administrative policies, campus power and operations, transportation, solid waste, education and research.

"We now turn our attention to the work at hand and begin to implement the plan," said Mote. "This will require the participation of everyone on campus, as we work to conserve energy, find greener ways of doing business and seek the discoveries and creations that will enhance sustainable living. This mission will transform the University and our graduates."

A number of efforts that support campus climate action are already underway:

* In April 2009, the University entered into a $20 million Energy Performance Contract with Johnson Controls to retrofit nine campus buildings. The renovations will save approximately $2 million per year in energy costs and the project will be repaid through energy savings.

* Facilities Management has undertaken a re-lamping of campus hallways to drastically reduce the energy needed for illumination. 21 academic buildings have already been re-lamped, providing $208,000 in annual energy savings. Additional buildings scheduled for the improvements are projected to save approximately $911,000 annually. The total project is estimated to reduce 8,000 tons of greenhouse gases and have a 3 year payback period.

* The Office of Sustainability is partnering with Facilities Management and several departments to pilot an energy conservation project in 3 campus buildings this fall. Energywi$e UM will provide building occupants with data about their buildings' energy usage and specific strategies to reduce energy consumption.

* Construction of Knight Hall - the College of Journalism's new home - is nearing compleation. It is the campus' first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design LEED (green) building. The University has committed itself to meeting the LEED Silver rating criteria for all new construction and major renovations.

* The University has issued a Request for Proposal on behalf of the campus and State of Maryland to secure long term renewable energy. Proposals are currently under review. It is recognized that the University must significantly increase its purchase of "clean" energy to meet its goal of carbon neutrality.

To monitor and support the Climate Action Plan and other sustainability efforts, President Mote has formed a new University Sustainability Council comprised of students, faculty, staff, and senior administrators. The Council's goal is to advise the Office of the President and the campus community about issues related to the integration of sustainability into campus operations, the costs and benefits of carbon reducing expenditures, and related policy activities. The Council will oversee the University's mission, as stated in the Strategic Plan, to be "widely recognized as a national model for a Green University" by recommending long-term sustainability goals and policies for the campus.

About the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment

Launched in 2007, the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment is a network of 650 signatory schools, representing all fifty states and the District of Columbia. This high-visibility effort to address global warming garners institutional commitments to neutralize greenhouse gas emissions and accelerate the research and educational efforts of higher education to equip society to re-stabilize the earth's climate.

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