Environmental Stewardship Committee
Work plan and timeline
The first priority of the Environmental Stewardship Committee is to develop a climate action plan that will allow UB to fulfill the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment and achieve carbon neutrality as defined in the ACUPCC Implementation Guide. UB’s deadline for submitting its climate action plan is September 15, 2009.
The university, through the UB Green office, has already met the first significant requirement of the commitment in the compilation of an inventory of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from all university activities. This includes emissions from heating and cooling of buildings, operation of lights and computers, commuting to and from school by faculty, staff, and students, the operation of university vehicle fleets and all other uses of energy. The initial GHG inventory is in the UB Green Climate Action Report.
The second major requirement is to create the climate action plan. The Environmental Stewardship Committee will be assisted in the preparation of the plan by a consultant team led by Beyer Blinder Belle Architects and Planners, LLP of New York City. They are also the lead consultants on the comprehensive physical plan and will lead a team of transportation, energy, and environment experts in this work.
The planning process is designed to connect the expertise of the consultants with the local knowledge of the committee members, which, in turn, will be guided by the values of the university community of staff, faculty, and students. The process will include three major public events:
- A Fall Sustainability Forum – October 21, 2008 from 11 to 2 in the Student Union Theater. This will be a workshop style meeting in which students, faculty, and staff will have an opportunity to hear a report from Environmental Stewardship Committee leaders about work in progress as well as to express your views and offer your ideas for making UB a more sustainable institution.
- Spring Sustainability Forum – April 14, 2009 from 10 to noon in the Student Union Theater. This session will include a review of a draft Climate Action Plan and provide a crucial opportunity for members of the university community to shape its recommendations.
- Climate Action Plan Final Review – September 2009 (TBA) – a draft plan is scheduled to be ready by the end of the academic year – and presented for a thorough final review by the campus community through the summer. Following final revisions, the plan will be approved by the Environmental Stewardship Committee and forwarded for endorsement by the Space Management and Facilities Planning Committee – UB’s “planning board.”
The final plan is expected to be ready for submission to the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment by UB’s deadline date of September 15, 2009.