2008 Woodie Awards
Breath of fresh air
Hitt signs commitment to improve UCF environment
Tara Young
Issue date: 3/21/07 Section: News
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President John Hitt's recent acceptance of an invitation to join the American College and University President's Climate Commitment leadership Circle has UCF on the path to addressing global warming issues.
The committee was created so that higher education institutions could use their abilities to actively study global warming issues and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions over time.
Hitt, upon signing the climate commitment and joining the ranks of the other 96 presidents who have signed in the U.S., has agreed to actively and immediately take important steps to fight global warming.
The first step to be met is for UCF to develop an institutional action plan for becoming climate neutral within two years of signing the agreement. Some of the ways to achieve this goal, as offered by the committee's guidelines, is to make climate neutrality and sustainability a part of the UCF curriculum and available for all students and by setting a target date for achieving climate neutrality as soon as possible.
"We have our now-second brief coming up with President Hitt to discuss the new climate commitment plan ideas," said Dave Norvell, assistant director for The Center for Energy and Sustainability. "It will go hand-in-hand with the comprehensive plan for the university, which will be the groundwork for the major climate-neutral plan."
In the interim, UCF must meet a minimum of two other climate-friendly actions that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
One of the goals will be fulfilled by UCF joining with the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. UCF has agreed to meet the LEED silver standard requirement or higher for all new campus construction projects and renovations. In order to meet the silver standard, 33 out of 69 total points must be met in the process.
The first building to register with the LEED silver requirement will be the Physical Sciences building. It will be located in between the Biological Sciences building and the Main Utility Plant, replacing a staff parking lot. Estimated at a cost of $22 million, construction is set to begin in August of this year.
The committee was created so that higher education institutions could use their abilities to actively study global warming issues and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions over time.
Hitt, upon signing the climate commitment and joining the ranks of the other 96 presidents who have signed in the U.S., has agreed to actively and immediately take important steps to fight global warming.
The first step to be met is for UCF to develop an institutional action plan for becoming climate neutral within two years of signing the agreement. Some of the ways to achieve this goal, as offered by the committee's guidelines, is to make climate neutrality and sustainability a part of the UCF curriculum and available for all students and by setting a target date for achieving climate neutrality as soon as possible.
"We have our now-second brief coming up with President Hitt to discuss the new climate commitment plan ideas," said Dave Norvell, assistant director for The Center for Energy and Sustainability. "It will go hand-in-hand with the comprehensive plan for the university, which will be the groundwork for the major climate-neutral plan."
In the interim, UCF must meet a minimum of two other climate-friendly actions that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
One of the goals will be fulfilled by UCF joining with the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. UCF has agreed to meet the LEED silver standard requirement or higher for all new campus construction projects and renovations. In order to meet the silver standard, 33 out of 69 total points must be met in the process.
The first building to register with the LEED silver requirement will be the Physical Sciences building. It will be located in between the Biological Sciences building and the Main Utility Plant, replacing a staff parking lot. Estimated at a cost of $22 million, construction is set to begin in August of this year.