Isra-Mart srl : U. takes steps to be carbon neutral

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The University of Utah is undertaking a variety of environmentally-conscious efforts, some of which were announced Thursday at a kick-off event held on campus.

"Universities in this country should be leaders, not followers, in climate stewardship," said professor David Chapman, chairman of the university president's advisory board. "We're not going to wait for Washington. We're not going to wait for Capitol Hill."

President Michael Young, along with 670 other university presidents, pledged to develop ways to make their campuses green-focused two years ago when they signed the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment. Thursday, he officially unveiled the university's Environmental and Energy Stewardship Initiative.

Young's overarching goal is to make his university carbon neutral over the next 40 years. To that end, Young said he believes that by installing water-capturing technology and landscaping, the university will be water neutral within 10 years — which means the campus would consume the equivalent of the average rainfall volume that falls on campus. In addition, the university plans to have most of its construction projects obtain LEED gold and silver certification.

The university has already put programs into place that have been effective, Young said, including its Office of Sustainability, a resource available to departments and students campus-wide. What's more, within only a handful of years, the university increased its public transportation usage from 1,000 students per day to more than 10,000, Chapman said.

Young said being environmentally conscious doubles as being fiscally prudent, which is especially important for college students. Decreased energy bills and less consumption of gas both impact students. What's more, by decreasing its carbon footprint, the university will help decrease the severity of winter inversions.

Young said he admired how the green efforts are student-driven.

This is really a bottom-up initiative," he said, with the faculty running to catch up.

"This generation is changing the world one aluminum can at a time."