RU Climate Action Plan Posted For Review
To build on Radford University's history of wise stewardship of scarce resources, RU's Sustainability Steering Committee (SSC) has drafted a comprehensive climate action plan (CAP), a living document to guide the university toward climate neutrality. The CAP is also the RU community's commitment to use resources in a sustainable manner.
The CAP is now online so students, faculty, staff and community members can study it and share their comments and suggestions, which are welcome and critical to its success.
In 2009, RU committed to the ambitious goal of carbon neutrality when President Penelope W. Kyle agreed to the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment. The CAP now posted is the product of the SSC's two technical working groups (TWG). At work since fall 2011, the two TWGs are the mitigation group, focused on energy usage and transportation related to campus operations; and the education, research and outreach group, focused on curriculum, research and the community.
The RU CAP, representing the work of students, faculty, staff and community members, proposes a foundation for the university's ongoing commitment to carbon neutrality achievement and includes the following components:
- A target date for achieving climate neutrality as soon as possible
- Interim target dates for goals and actions that will lead to climate neutrality
- Actions to make climate neutrality and sustainability part of the curriculum and other educational experiences for all students
- Actions to expand research or other efforts necessary to achieve climate neutrality
- Mechanisms for tracking progress on goals and actions
The SSC invites comments and suggestions on the RU CAP by email to rugreen@radford.edu.
To learn more about RU's recycling and sustainability activities, visit the RU Sustainability website.