Go Green

Sustainability Planning and Policy

Sustainability efforts at TU are largely driven through our students, faculty and staff. We have several committees dedicated to furthering green initiatives, as well as an Office of Sustainablity who guides the development of sustainability policies and projects on campus. Working together—and under the guise of the Climate Commitment signed by TU’s president in 2007, the committees have established policies, strategies and long-term plans that are building the sustainable campus of TU’s future.

Sustainability Planning Committees

In addition to the Office of Sustainability, the main groups responsible for planning and implementing our sustainable initiatives are the Climate Commitment Committee and the Civic Engagement Subcommittee on Environmental Initiatives. The Climate Commitment Committee is chaired by Roger Hayden, Vice President for Facilities Management, while the Environmental Initiatives Subcommittee is chaired by Jane Wolfson, Director of Environmental Science and Studies. Both committees were formed in 2007 and have representation from students, faculty and staff, including representatives from the Student Government Association and the University Residence Government. Combined, the committees have more than two dozen people committed to furthering campus sustainability.

Climate Commitment

Many of the university’s long-term plans for achieving carbon neutrality are aligned with the Presidents' Climate Commitment. As a signatory of the commitment, we pledged to achieve carbon neutrality, and then created a climate action plan to help us get there. The strategy behind the action plan involves conducting annual inventories of campus greenhouse gas emissions which provide data for comparisons and trending of campus energy usage. That trending data is then used to identify energy reduction projects and develop best practices that help to reduce overall consumption. Such initiatives include the development of standard occupancy hours to guide the use of electricity in campus buildings, standard practices for turning down heating and air conditioning (HVAC) units in residence halls during the summer and winter breaks, as well as the installation of energy efficient LED lighting systems in campus buildings. Specific reduction projects are highlighted below.

• Presidents' Climate Commitment

• TU's Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory

• ESCO Project

• Instructions for turning down HVAC units during break (PDF)

Climate Action Plan

We are currently in the process of developing a campus-wide Climate Action Plan which will serve as a roadmap for fulfilling the requirements of the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment. Our goal is to become a carbon neutral campus by 2050. The plan will be available on the web in early 2013.

SGA Green Fund

In spring 2010, TU’s Student Government Association (SGA) established a Green Fund to direct $30,000 worth of SGA funding toward the implementation of sustainability programs and initiatives on campus. The fund was created following a campus-wide survey that indicated that roughly 80% of students supported the use of student fees for campus green initiatives.

In spring 2011, the SGA passed legislation which made the Green Fund a permanent allocation of the SGA budget. The funds are managed by the Towson Student Civic Engagement Committee and the SGA Director of Civic Engagement, who coordinate with campus administrators such as the Director of Sustainability and the Campus Energy Manager to plan and launch projects. Students interested in helping with the SGA green fund should contact SGA Director of Civic Engagement Kristen Gazzara at kgazza1@students.towson.edu.  

Office of Sustainability
General Services Building, Room 132A (map)
Hours: Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Phone: 410-704-3409
Fax: 410-704-6248
Email: gogreen@towson.edu