Development of Radford University’s Climate Action Plan, a comprehensive approach to reducing RU’s carbon footprint and enhancing its overall sustainability, is under way, and participation by the campus community will be vital.

“The CAP will be the culmination of the collaborative efforts of the entire RU campus community of faculty, staff and student representatives who provide suggestions and recommendations to the Sustainability Steering Committee,” said Graduate College Dean Dennis Grady, committee chair. “With Board of Visitors’ approval, the plan will set a target date for carbon neutrality, establish interim targets and propose action items under categories like administration, infrastructure, energy use, transportation, materials management and education.”

The development of the CAP was spurred by President Kyle’s 2009 signing of the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment pledge, which binds RU to evaluate its carbon emissions from greenhouse gases and submit a long-range plan for reducing its carbon footprint within two years.

RU is among almost 700 colleges and universities to sign this pledge to exercise community leadership by modeling ways to eliminate emissions as well as provide knowledge and the educated graduates to achieve climate neutrality. Before President Kyle signed the pledge, RU created a sustainability coordinator position. The university recently conducted a comprehensive inventory of its greenhouse gas levels to establish a baseline.

Faculty, students and staff volunteers are needed for two transitional working groups that will research and develop the goals and specific elements of the plan. Volunteers are needed for the Mitigation Strategies Working Group, chaired by Facilities Management Director Jorge Coartney; and the Education, Research and the Outreach Working Group, chaired by Mark Wagstaff, professor of Recreation, Parks and Tourism.

For more information and to volunteer, contact Sustainability Coordinator Julio Stephens at (540) 831-7206 or wrstephe@radford.edu. To learn more about the CAP process and RU’s green initiative, visit RU sustainABILITY.