Table of Contents

1. What ACUPCC Reporting Data Can Tell Us about Campus Sustainability
2. The ACUPCC Network: Collaborative Action Creates Multiplier Effect
3. Why Do Good Plans Die?
4. New Report Highlights Best Practices for Creating a Climate Action Plan

What ACUPCC Reporting Data Can Tell Us about Campus Sustainability

Tying in sustainability to climate action seems quite obvious to most of us. Greenhouse gas emissions result from a number of activities that sustainability initiatives traditionally address; if the emissions from those activities can be reduced, substituted by more "sustainable" energy sources, or offset then the campus carbon (equivalent) footprint is reduced and we are on our way to being more sustainable. Is that really all there is to it? Isn't sustainability about looking at a complex system and implementing processes to make it more environmentally, socially, and economically viable? For my doctoral research at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), I wanted to take a step back from the obvious to see how institutional factors affect GHG emissions. Through the ACUPCC Reporting System, we have an increasing wealth of data at our fingertips that likely no sector across the United States has in such a comprehensive fashion. Using the data that the signatories report, I put to work the concept of using the campus as a learning laboratory or, in this case, using all of our campuses as a laboratory. Read more...

The ACUPCC Network: Collaborative Action Creates Multiplier Effect

A core concept in the field of systems thinking is that the relationships between the components of a system are vital to understanding the system as a whole. The ACUPCC network exemplifies this concept. The colleges and universities which have made top-level commitments to promote education and research on climate and sustainability and 'walk the talk' by pursuing climate neutrality in their operations are poised to have a great impact on humanity's quest to break our fossil fuel addiction and preserve a safe, livable future. To date, 535 institutions have submitted greenhouse gas inventories and 320 have submitted climate action plans - all publicly available on the ACUPCC Reporting System so students, faculty and staff can learn about where their institutions stand and what strategies other institutions are trying. Perhaps more importantly, the cumulative impact of this collaborative initiative is accelerating progress in other sectors, serving as a role-model and helping to set precedent for national and international climate action. Read more...

Why Do Good Plans Die?

Every institution has an unfortunate legacy of well-intentioned plans that have died. Why do some plans transform an institution while others grow stale on the shelf? Sometimes plans with the most impressive packaging are inherently inadequate, lacking the key ingredients necessary for an organization to move from plan to action: a goal that is simple and clear, measureable milestones, understandable metrics, and feasible resource expectations. Sometimes failure of a plan to prove transformative is not an inherent weakness of the plan itself but due to organizational incapacity or resources. How can we maintain momentum when our governing boards are consumed by concerns about declining revenues, student access and affordability, and looming fiscal nightmares around benefits, investments, and pensions? They cannot ignore these problems; neither can we. One thing we can do is concentrate on carbon-reducing actions that are practically cost-free, or self-financing, including a number of grass-roots changes in institutional culture that can constructively engage students during a time when major investments may have to wait. Read more...

New Report Highlights Best Practices for Creating a Climate Action Plan

When signatories take the first step of self-discovery by starting to craft a Climate Action Plan (CAP), many discover that the journey is more of a grueling uphill climb. Every school faces challenges that set back their climate action planning - entrenched operations, cost, lack of community buy-in, constraints on staff time. What can your school do to avoid these obstacles? To help answer this, a new report by Eastern Research Group, Inc. (ERG) details important best practices in creating a CAP by analyzing completed reports and speaking with schools directly. Through the support of EPA, the recently released study "Climate Action Planning: A Review of Best Practices, Key Elements, and Common Climate Strategies" identifies helpful approaches that any signatory can start using for their first CAP or future update. ERG's survey included an array of 50 colleges of all sizes, regions, and breadth of degree offerings. The results from this research show ambitious trends that represent a significant reduction in carbon emissions and exemplify the power of the ACUPCC. Read more...