Charting the Course for Climate Neutrality
Villanova University, as part of its responsibility as a signatory of the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), created a formal Climate Action Plan (CAP) in 2010.
The Villanova CAP—which is available to the public as both an executive summary and a full report—sets forth the year 2050 as the university’s target date for net climate neutrality.
The CAP highlights Villanova’s approach to offsetting carbon emissions and accelerating research to help protect and re-stabilize the earth’s climate. It further describes Villanova’s plans of action across five categories: Campus Emissions; Mitigation Strategies; Educational, Research, and Community Outreach Efforts; Financing; and Tracking Progress.
Villanova’s intellectual leadership in the area of sustainability is a core component of the CAP. The university plans to build upon its existing strength in this area to expand research funding, academic programs, and service-learning opportunities. The CAP also outlines Villanova’s strategies to reduce campus emissions through changes to its physical facilities, including its cooler plant, boiler plant, and heating infrastructure. Lastly, the CAP provides a timeline for the achievement of Villanova’s goals. The university will regularly report on its progress and track its greenhouse gas emissions. It will also conduct regular reviews of the CAP to evaluate progress and verify that previous assumptions remain valid—especially those that may be affected by changes in technology and in energy and environmental markets.
