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February 20, 2018 208-860-4736

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University of Idaho Falls Short Of 2030 Climate Neutrality Goals

Authors of Climate Action Plan say the university will not reach its goals by 2030

Moscow, ID - The University of Idaho’s Sustainability

Center (UISC), the authors and facilitators of the
Climate Action Plan (CAP), admit that the university is
not on track to reach any of the plan’s outlined goals,
specifically to have a climate-neutral campus in
Moscow by 2030.
Credit: University of Idaho
When CAP was signed in 2010 by President Duane
Nellis, he had a vision to make U of I a role model for other universities. He understood that
reaching this goal would require the university to reassess new and old infrastructure, the types
of energy conservation the campus utilizes and reducing their dependence on fossil fuels.

The CAP has not been a focal point for the current administration. Current UI President Chuck
Staben has instead focused on other goals. One example is his mission to increase faculty salaries
to match the national average. Unfortunately, this means pushing back vital CAP projects to an
unknown date.

UI Sustainability Director Jeannie Matheison, one of the authors of the CAP, says that by not
meeting the goals agreed upon in the plan, the university is falling short on their commitment to
the Talloires Declaration, composed in 1990. The declaration prompted universities to
incorporate sustainable initiatives on campuses. The CAP was vital for UI to meet its Talloires
commitment.

“The responsibility is overlapping responsibility. There is no one person taking the lead, so it’s a
little bit muddy,” Matheison said. “When it comes to updating the Climate Action Plan, STARS,
and the greenhouse gas inventory, that falls on us [UISC]. When it comes to updating the
[ACUPCC] wedge because it’s so engineering intensive it will be on facilities and as for the
university, they used to pay our dues and for a position to oversee progress on the Climate
Action Plan, they no longer will.”

Matheison credits the Sustainability Center’s student staff, full-time staff, and the staff working
in university facilities for the slow but continual progress made on climate change commitments.
However, with little support from the administration, no big leaps can be made. She believes the
only thing that can be done, since the university has refused to assist, “is pulling up our
bootstraps and coming together and trying to make it happen.”

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University of Idaho’s Falls Short On Climate Neutrality Goals

University of Idaho Sustainability and Student Engagement Coordinator Stevie Steely is a key
player in the progress of the Climate Action Plan (CAP). Much of her job is spent updating the
greenhouse gas inventory and the CAP itself so that key stakeholders can have the most accurate,
up-to-date information. She believes the university’s organization of information is flawed.

“Almost all of the information comes from facilities for this, and they don’t keep track of
information very well. I went back and got all of the information from 2005 to current, when I
should really only have to get it from 2013,” says Steely. “However, [U of I Facilities] didn’t
leave [greenhouse gas inventory]. After gathering the information, I redid the numbers, and I am
getting completely different numbers than what the people before me got, and this is due to
horrible record keeping.”

However, Steely has not lost hope in the CAP. She believes “it could be possible” to meet the
climate neutrality goals by 2030 if the university makes a concerted effort. Unfortunately, with
the current resources, partners, and staff working on CAP, the plan will likely not be done until
far past the 2030 deadline.

The CAP involves many moving pieces and is considered a living document. The information is
always changing. A key priority of the plan is reducing and controlling greenhouse gas emissions
by utilizing the greenhouse gas inventory, which tracks the university’s emissions over time.
With the small amount of progress made so far, the university has discovered many benefits,
such as the $1 million rebate and annual savings that resulted from switching to LED lights. As a
leader in research and sustainability, the U of I has some decisions to make if they want to keep
their commitments.

NOTE TO THE EDITORS: The Climate Action Plan can be found on the University of Idaho’s
Sustainability Center website.

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