Climate Commitment & Implementation Committees
UMass Lowell became a charter signatory of Second Nature's Climate Commitment in 2016.
The Climate Commitment reaffirms UMass Lowell's commitment to combating the effects of climate change and ensuring the university is sustainable and resilient as effects from climate change are increasingly felt in the region.
The university first pledged its commitment to climate neutrality in 2007 with the signing of what was then known as the American College and University President's Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) by University of Massachusetts President Jack M. Wilson. President Martin T. Meehan, then UMass Lowell Chancellor, was immediately supportive of the initiative and spotlighted work on energy efficiency and sustainability.
In 2012, UMass Lowell passed it’s Climate Action Plan (CAP) which committed the university to climate neutrality by 2050 and laid out a framework for accomplishing such a goal. In order to develop the comprehensive plan senior administrators from across the campus were gathered together to be sure the goals could be strategically met. This planning group was organized into the CAP Steering Committee. The group continues to meet regularly today to ensure we are on target to meet our emission reduction targets.
The commitment also ensures we are regularly and transparently reporting greenhouse gas emissions. All of UMass Lowell’s Climate Commitment Reporting including our greenhouse gas emissions calculators are freely and publicly available on Second Nature’s Website: UMass Lowell's Second Nature Reporting.
The Climate Action Plan is UMass Lowell’s framework for achieving our goal of climate neutrality by 2050.
The University’s Climate Action Plan and Interim reports can be read here:
2017 Climate Action Plan Update and Late 2018 Implementation Committee Redesign
In 2007, UMass Lowell became a signatory to the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), now the Second Nature Climate Commitment, which laid the ground work for the development of the university’s Climate Action Plan (CAP) in 2012. The 2012 CAP charts a course toward carbon neutrality by 2050 with milestone goals in 2020 and 2030.
Much has changed since the CAP was first passed in 2012. The university is in the process of updating the plan for late 2018.
The CAP Steering Committee oversees three subcommittees. Find out more:
- Carbon Offset Approach: examines the corresponding American National Standards Institute certification requirements.
- Corporate Partnerships & Engagement: cultivates partnerships with leading renewable energy companies.
- Renewable/Efficiency Project Identification: focuses on renewable energy adoption by working side by side with the Facilities Department energy project identification.
For a detailed high-level explanation, please reference the 2017 Climate Action Plan Update submitted to Second Nature in Summer 2017 (pdf).
Most Recent CAP Meeting Materials
- October 2018 - DRAFT Minutes (pdf)
- April 2018 - Minutes (pdf)
Original 2012 Climate Action Plan Implementation & Committee Structure
The original implementation of the CAP activities were overseen by the UMass Lowell CAP Steering Committee.