Climate Action Plan
In March and April of 2011, WAP Sustainability and UTC's Center for Applied Social Research partnered to survey the campus community to gather valuable data concerning the perceptions, level of understanding and the motivating factors with regards to sustainability and greenhouse gas mitigation efforts.
Two different surveys were deployed online—one survey was targeted at students and the other was targeted at faculty and staff. The survey was designed to gather input in three key categories, including:
- General awareness
- Sustainability at UTC
- Demographics
Subcategories included waste and recycling, alternative modes of transportation, water conservation, energy conservation, and sustainable food options.
Reflecting UTC’s institutional vision, the Climate Action Plan provides a general framework for addressing climate change with strategies and proposed actions that will support scholarly and academic achievements and “critical partnerships that…provide solutions to global concerns.” It is a document that will be changed, revised, and updated to reflect institutional priorities, new knowledge, and best practices in creating healthy, prosperous, sustainable communities in a carbon constrained world.
This report represents the first Climate Action Plan for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC). It was undertaken specifically to comply with the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), which was signed by Chancellor Roger Brown in 2009. It also supports the implementation of the strategic Plan, which identifies an environmentally sustainable campus as one of its institutional goals.
Our Numbers
Our Direct Emissions include CO2 emissions from everyday university functions- including oil, natural gas, refrigerants and from our university fleet.
Indirect Emissions are caused by student, staff and faculty commuting, financed travel, landfill waste, wastewater and electricity losses.
UTC has taken many measures to decrease our carbon footprint, such as purchasing green power from EPB, preserving forests and encouraging our recycling program!
2011 Climate Action Plan (CAP)
CAP represents the University’s commitment to address climate change and natural resources depletion; to promote healthy, sustainable communities; and to advance sustainability through education, research, service and practice.