UNC Asheville Approves Climate Action Plan to Reach Carbon Neutrality by 2050

UNC Asheville’s Sustainability Council has approved and endorsed the University’s Climate Action Plan (CAP), outlining short, medium and long-term action goals to reduce greenhouse emissions on campus. The CAP is one of the first steps in upholding UNC Asheville’s Carbon Commitment, signed in 2021, with the goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2050.

“We have a lot of work to do in order to be a carbon neutral campus in just under 30 years,” said Alison Ormsby, director of sustainability at UNC Asheville. “The Climate Action Plan is a vital step in engaging in that work, and incorporates everything from fertilizer use to classroom curricula.”

The CAP is a detailed and strategic framework for measuring and reducing greenhouse gas emissions and related climate impacts, and it was initially developed by students in the Communicating Climate Change course, in collaboration with Ormsby and Evan Couzo, associate professor of atmospheric sciences at UNC Asheville. With expert consulting provided pro bono from Brailsford & Dunlavey, the CAP will provide guidance to the University community for decades to come. 

Proposed climate actions include short-term measures such as launching an on-campus compost processing program, to long-term projects such as installing green roofs. 

Progress has already begun on campus with the installation of a new solar array at the Reuter Center, student research calculating carbon sequestration in UNC Asheville’s forested property, and expansion of electric vehicle charging stations, and student research on a solar feasibility study for campus, among other initiatives. 

“The Climate Action Plan and the Carbon Commitment benefit the University in so many ways, even beyond the positive environmental impact,” Ormsby said. “We’ll see cost savings, curriculum connections and learning opportunities, and we’ll be providing a model of community stewardship. Sustainability is one of our core values at UNC Asheville, and this is a crucial and meaningful way to act on those values.”