Overview for Mason Climate Action Plan

1. Overview forMason Climate Action Plan February 16, 2009 Lenna Storm, Dann Sklarew, and Rob Johnson CAP website: http://masoncap.wikispaces.com

2. Session Overview • LENNA previews our session here • CPC as seed, from today forward YOU are the CAP Team! (note students in class here too?)

3. ACUPCC • American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC): • recognize the need to reduce the global emission of greenhouse gases by 80% by mid-century at the latest, • we believe that there will be great short-, medium-, and long-term economic, health, social and environmental benefits, including achieving energy independence for the U.S. as quickly as possible. • http://www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org/

4. ACUPCC • Recommended Approach • Develop comprehensive plan to achieve climate neutrality as soon as possible. • Implement institutional structure to achieve • Complete GHG Inventory (Feb’09) • Develop Climate Action Plan (CAP) to achieve climate neutrality (Sep’09).

5. Mason CAP Timeline to Date • Sep’07 - President Merten signed ACUPCC • Oct’07 – Lenna Storm hired as Sustainability Coordinator and GMU Sustainability Office created • Jan’08 – Feb’09 – Sustainability Office prepared Greenhouse Gas Inventory (GHGI) for years FY02 – FY07, formed CAP Core Planning Committee. • Jan’09 – May’09 – Mason “Climate Action Planning and Energy Strategies” (CAPES) course launched and delivered by ESP Dept., to facilitate CAP development and learning. • Feb 17, 2009 – Climate Action Planning Team launched at CAP Kickoff!

6. Dann could start on either of next 2 slides • Please tell him which in notes section below!

7. Climate Action Planning Team Aim: Draft George Mason University's first Climate Action Plan (CAP) for approval by GMU President Alan Merten in September 2009 and implementation ASAP thereafter.

8. What is a CAP? Vision Achieve climate neutrality, “no net GHG emissions,” by minimizing GHG emissions, and using carbon offsets or other measures to mitigate the remaining emissions.

9. How to do a CAP? • Identify, evaluate and characterize: • Target date • Interim targets for goals and actions leading to climate neutrality • Actions to integrate climate neutrality and sustainability into the curriculum and other student experiences • Actions to expand research or other efforts necessary to achieve climate neutrality • Mechanisms for tracking progress on goals and actions • (Then revise CAP biennially with inputs from regularly updated GHGI.)

10. Mason CAP Timeline to Delivery • Feb 17, 2009 – Launch Climate Action Planning Team at CAP Kickoff • End of February – Task 1: Define technical, policy, or process problems that are potential sources of emissions. • Mid-March – Task 2: Define potential emissions reduction solutions within three major categories (technical, policy, process/behavioral). • April-May –Task 3: Develop strategic options for timelines to achieve neutrality target, including carbon offset strategy. • April-May – Task 4: Analysis and prioritization of solutions. • Mid-May – Task 5: Draft CAP [… refine over summer to deliver in Sept.]

11. GMU Greenhouse Gas Inventory

12. ROB’s SLIDES HERE • Yada yada cupcake cupcake…