UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND REDUCED CARBON EMISSIONS 15 PERCENT IN 2012

In The University of Maryland's Indepent Student Newspaper, there was a good news about UMD in terms of green and sustainable life.  In the sustainability office’s 2013 progress report released Thursday, the university reported a 2012 carbon footprint of 278,722 metric tons, a 10,803-ton drop from 2011 levels. Despite continuing sustainability challenges such as air travel and steam production, the office attributed its success to new initiatives such as commuter parking permits, the sustainability minor and campuswide recycling.  

The reduction signifies meeting the university’s first Climate Action Plan goal, a “very significant” achievement, said Andrew Muir, the sustainability office’s spokesman. The university’s Climate Action Plan, launched in 2009, set regular targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and eventually achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

Students and the rest of the university played a large role in helping meet the plan’s first goal, said Mark Stewart, the office’s senior project manager. For instance, the 76 percent recycling rate in 2012 exceeded its 75 percent target, and the sustainability minor launched that year is now the university’s most popular. More students have been biking to school, and students purchased 478 fewer parking permits, Stewart said.