Sustainability
In February of 2007, the University of Arkansas became the first institution of higher education in the state – and among the first 100 in the country – to sign the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment.
This commits the university to creating an action plan to make the campus carbon-neutral; to implementing at least two specific programs for reducing greenhouse gases; and to making the action plan and all progress reports accessible to the public.
To help implement the Presidents Commitment, the university recently hired its first executive assistant for sustainability in the facilities management department. This department also is overseeing the implementation of dozens of new, ongoing or planned projects that include recycling at football games, move-in day recycling at residence halls, and acquiring a fleet of campus vehicles that use alternative fuels or electricity.
Upgrading the campus infrastructure also is a crucial component of any sustainability effort. New buildings must be built to the same rigorous standards as the University of Arkansas Center for Innovation, which incorporates the latest thinking in green design including efficient water and energy use, as well as limiting the use – and promoting the reuse – of all building materials. Also, every building on campus is being retrofitted with more efficient interior lights and motion sensors that activate lights only when a room is occupied.
On another front, the university’s Applied Sustainability Center, funded through an initial $1.5 million donation from Wal-Mart, is working to unite academic experts and business leaders to develop sustainable business practices and implement them in the retail and consumer-goods industries. On campus, the center will consult with the facilities management team to create green solutions, train and educate staff and students about sustainability, partner with student and non-governmental organizations, and eventually coordinate with faculty to incorporate sustainability concepts into their curricula.
To learn more about how the University of Arkansas is turning commitment to action, visit http://sustainability.uark.edu online.
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