Learning Green, Living Green - ACUPCC

The American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) provides framework and support for American colleges and universities to eventually go climate neutral.

ACUPCC Categories:

Purpose

Overview of the ACUPCC

Who's Who in the ACUPCC

Elements of the Climate Commitment

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory

Tangible Actions

Climate Action Plan

Reporting Requirements and Deadlines

Offsets

Purpose
ACUPCC members have recognized that promoting environmental sustainability must happen at the college and university level for several reasons:

1. It is the right thing to do for the sake of future generations.
2. Institutions of higher learning serve as community role models.
3. The main task for institutions of higher learning is training the leaders who will develop the social, economic, and technological solutions to eventually reverse global warming.

On April 18, 2007, FSU president Jonathan Gibralter signed the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment, becoming the only Maryland member of the ACUPCC Leadership Circle. FSU officially became a charter member of the initiative on Sept. 15, 2007, along with over 100 other institutions of higher learning.

Overview of the ACUPCC
Institutions signing the Presidents Climate Commitment are pledging to eliminate their contributions to global warming over time. This involves:

• Establishing an institutional structure to oversee the development and implementation of the ACUPCC compliance program.
• Completing an emissions inventory every year.
• Establishing a climate neutrality action plan and setting a target date and milestones for becoming climate neutral.
• Taking immediate steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by choosing from a list of tangible actions.
• Integrating sustainability into the curriculum.
• Making reports and progress available to the public.

Who's Who in the ACUPCC
Signatory - Any president or chancellor who signs the commitment

Charter Signatory - Presidents and chancellors who signed the commitment on or before Sept. 15, 2007

Leadership Circle - Signatories who have agreed to help lead the initiative, promote it, and recruit colleagues to join.

Steering Committee - The chief governing body of the ACUPCC comprised of 15-20 volunteers from the Leadership Circle.

Supporting Organizations - Organizations that work to support the ACUPCC. These include: the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), Second Nature, and ecoAmerica.

Elements of the Climate Commitment
Establish an Institutional Structure - Within two months of the implementation start date, participants must establish a committee to guide the development and implementation of the school's plan. This must include faculty, staff, and students.

Measure Greenhouse Gas Emissions - Within one year of the implementation start date and annually thereafter, participants must complete an inventory and publicly report their greenhouse gas emissions.

Tangible Actions - Within two months of the implementation start date, participants agree to select two or more tangible actions from a list of seven, to be completed over two years.

Climate Action Plan - Within two years of the implementation start date, participants set a target date and interim milestones for achieving climate neutrality. This is to be achieved through conservation, renewable energy, carbon offsets, or other measures.

Reporting Requirements - Signatory institutions commit to make their institutional structure, greenhouse gas emissions inventory, climate action plan, and progress reports publicly available by providing them to AASHE for posting and dissemination.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG) Inventory
Commitment signatories agree to complete a comprehensive inventory of all GHG emissions within one year after their implementation start date.

For signatories not already participating in another GHG inventory program, the Clean Air, Cool Planet Campus Carbon Calculator is recommended because it was specifically designed for campuses and is the most commonly used tool for campus inventories.

It is standard practice for signatories to calculate and report their emissions over periods of one year. Signatories may choose to calculate their emissions according to their fiscal year, their academic year, or the calendar year.

Tangible Actions
ACUPCC signatories agree to initiate two or more of seven specified tangible actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while the climate action plan is being developed. The seven actions are:

1. Green Building Policy - Establish a policy that all new campus construction will be built to at least the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED Silver standard or equivalent.
2. Energy Star Procurement Policy - Adopt an energy-efficient appliance purchasing policy requiring purchase of Energy Star certified products in all areas for which ratings exist.
3. Air Travel Offsetting - Establish a policy of offsetting all greenhouse gas emissions generated by air travel paid for by our institution.
4. Provision of Public Transportation - Encourage use of and provide access to public transportation for all faculty, staff, students, and visitors to the institution.
5. Green Power Production or Purchasing - Begin purchasing or producing at least 15 percent of the institution's electricity consumption from renewable sources within one year of signing the ACUPCC.
6. Climate-Friendly Investing - Establish a policy or a committee that supports climate and sustainability shareholder proposals at companies where the institution's endowment is invested.
7. Waste Minimization - Participate in the Waste Minimization component of the national Recyclemania competition, and adopt three or more associated measures to reduce waste. (view associated measures)

Climate Action Plan
Within two years of the implementation start date, signatory institutions agree to develop an institutional plan for becoming climate neutral. The climate action plan should be in the form of a brief summary report that is comprehensible by and accessible to the general public. For consistency, signatories are encouraged to include the following sections in their report:

• Introduction - describe why the institution is taking this initiative and other background information
• Campus Emissions - describe the institution's current emissions trajectory and set a target date for neutrality
• Mitigation Strategies - show how the institution intends to achieve climate neutrality
• Education, Research, & Community Outreach Efforts - describe plans to make climate neutrality and sustainability part of the curriculum for students as well as actions to expand research and community outreach
• Financing - explain how the institution will finance mitigation strategies and other efforts described in the rest of the plan
• Tracking Progress - describe how the institution will track its progress in achieving the goals set out in the rest of the plan

Reporting Requirements and Deadlines
Signatory institutions agree to provide their climate action plans, inventories, and progress reports to AASHE for posting and dissemination through an online form.

Required information for the online form will include contextual questions regarding the institution's size and community type; emissions questions, and questions regarding climate action plan implementation.

The following reporting deadlines apply for signatory institutions:

• Within two months - submit information on institutional structure, including designating an institutional liaison and two tangible actions
• Within one year - report results for the institutional greenhouse gas emissions inventory
• Within two years - report on emissions and submit the climate action plan
• Within three years - report on emissions and progress in implementing the climate action plan
• Starting in year four - continue to report on emissions data annually; submit narrative progress reports annually or bi-annually

Offsets
Under the Presidents Climate Commitment, the term "offset" refers to the practice of compensating for greenhouse gas emissions that cannot feasibly be avoided at a given time, by supporting projects that reduce, avoid, or sequester emissions elsewhere, and that would not have otherwise occurred.

Each institution sets its own target date for reaching climate neutrality, so offsets need not be purchased immediately or even in the near future.

Institutions should select offset suppliers that:

• are transparent
• have strong, objective policies
• monitor projects to ensure reductions are occurring as projected
• ensure that their offsets are retired after the purchase
• provide offsets with social and environmental benefits that go beyond greenhouse gas reductions
• use third-party verification to ensure offset quality

Signatories are encouraged to give preference to offsets generated from projects within the institution's air shed.