Campus Sustainability at the University of Maryland
University of Maryland
Presidents Climate Commitment
Last May, President Mote joined other higher education institution leaders in signing the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment. Signatories of the Commitment pledge to take significant steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from campus operations and move toward the goal of climate neutrality (zero net greenhouse gas emissions). To learn more about the Climate Action Plan, click here.
News:
Campus Greenhouse Gas Inventory Complete!
June 08- The first comprehensive campus greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory is now complete and the report in available online:
Sustainability covered in Between the Columns
May 08- Between the Columns, the University’s faculty and staff newsletter, reported on some recent sustainability initiatives in the April 2008 issue. Also in the article are video interviews with University employees about sustainability education, rooftop gardening, green transportation, environmentally friendly cleaning products, and a lighting retrofit that is cutting energy consumption across campus.
Presentations from the Smart and Sustainable Campuses Conference are now available online
Apr 08- The University of Maryland hosted over 400 participants earlier this month for the National Smart and Sustainable Campuses Conference. Presentations from that conference are now available online. To view President Mote’s presentation on sustainability efforts at UM, click here.
USM Launches Sustainability Initiative!
Feb 08- The University System of Maryland has launched a new initiative to promote environmental stewardship and sustainable practices across the system’s universities, research institutions, and regional higher education centers. Goals of the initiative include reducing energy consumption system-wide by 15 percent and greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2020, conducting audits of greenhouse gas emission for all USM institutions and using best practices to reduce these emissions, and developing a system-wide strategy for campus sustainability and energy efficiency, including green building guidelines and sustainability benchmarks for all new construction and major facility renovations. The chancellor’s Environmental Sustainability and Climate Change Initiative will focus on developing policies, practices, and programs to support these goals.
LEED-Silver Building Standards Approved
Oct 07- The University has adopted the US Green Building Council (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-Silver green building standards for all new construction and major renovations. This announcement comes on the heels of the certification of SGIII as a LEED-Gold building on the USM Shady Grove campus. LEED standards for the College Park campus will go a long way to reduce future energy consumption and build in a way that is more respectful to the environment.
UM Climate Change Scientist Wins ’Genius Award’
Sept 07- The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation today named Ruth DeFries, a University of Maryland professor who studies how humans are transforming the Earth’s surface, as one of its 24 MacArthur Fellows for 2007. DeFries will receive $500,000 in "no strings attached" support over the next five years. Click here for more information.
Association Partners:
