Energy

The climate crisis is impacting every corner of our planet. Today, it’s not enough to simply aim to be a climate neutral university – we need to implement visionary strategies to become climate positive so we can truly make an impact.

As an influential educational institution, it is our job to be a model for positive climate practices as we care for our common home. And, quite simply, decreasing our impact on the planet by reducing our consumption of natural resources and increasing our use of clean energy sources is the right thing to do.

But doing the right thing won’t just be positive for the environment; rather, we would be showing prospective and current students, faculty, and staff that SCU is genuinely committed to the values put forth in our mission. By witnessing a full university effort, the community would view these goals as critical to all of us who work at SCU to implement and not just a select group of staff who were already actively doing the work. This comprehensive energy master plan would also have an added benefit of sending a clear message to potential donors and other funding opportunities that we have a distinct vision that guides our capital spending. It demonstrates that funds will be utilized well in pursuit of these critical goals.

Goal

Santa Clara University will position itself to be a climate positive university, accelerating the reduction of carbon pollution by driving down energy use through conservation and efficiency, decarbonizing our purchased energy and investments, and improving sustainable transportation options for our students and employees.

Strategies

OPE 1: Reduce Energy

By 2030, reduce campus energy use per square foot by 35%.

Sub-strategies include developing green building energy standards, identifying energy efficiency upgrades for older buildings, upgrading all campus buildings with LED lighting, and upgrading the building management system.

OPE 2: Decarbonize

By 2030, decarbonize campus energy use by 50%.

Sub-strategies include reducing fossil fuel by pursuing battery storage opportunities, adding photovoltaics to campus, updating a climate action plan, monitoring and reducing natural gas consumption on all possible buildings, and planning the transition of SCU’s entire fleet to all-electric or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.

OPE 3: Transportation

By 2025, provide transformative incentives, subsidies, programs, and advocacy to increase the percentage of students and employees using more sustainable transportation options as their primary means of transportation by 10%. By 2030, increase the percentage by 20%.

Sub-strategies include creating greater access to reduced-cost sustainable commuting options to all students and employees as well as exploring solutions to reducing carbon pollution associated with University-sponsored travel.

OPE 4: Funding

By 2024, identify recurring funding processes to operationalize sustainability projects, and ensure meeting sustainability goals.

Sub-strategies include establishing a sustainability investments revolving fund, dedicating ongoing funds in the University’s annual budget for sustainability project goals, and starting a dedicated sustainability campaign fund.

OPE 5: Investments

By 2025, establish an investment program more aligned with best practices of higher education sustainable investments and Laudato Si’ recommendations, incorporating ESG factors and/or climate risk as material issues and inform the campus community about investments and decision making processes.

Sub-strategies include exploring opportunities to establish mechanisms for integrating sustainability, justice, and ESG into investment and investor engagement practices, increasing transparency around investments.