.
The President's Climate Action Task Force (2008-2009)
The CATF is an eight-member advisory group, appointed by the President during the spring of 2008 to oversee the Presidents Climate Commitment and the related Climate Action Plan for the university. The CATF includes representatives from the university faculty, administrators, undergraduate student body, and surrounding town (Mansfield, CT).
Current CATF Co-Chairs:
Tom Callahan*, Associate Vice President, Administration & Operations
Rich Miller*, Director, Office of Environmental Policy
Additional Members:
Nancy Bull, Vice Provost for Academic Administration
Nick Frechette, Undergraduate Student, Chemical Engineering
Matt Hart, Town Manager, Town of Mansfield
Chuck Morrell, Student Union Associate Director (Student Affairs Rep.)
Lysa Teal, Director, Budget Office
Michael Willig, Professor & Director, Center for Environmental Science
Past Members:
Julie Elkins, Assistant to the VP of Student Affairs
What is a CATF workgroup?
In order to develop a university Climate Action Plan, the CATF will oversee five workgroups. Three new workgroups of the university - Energy, Sustainable Development, and Transportation - were established in order to tackle specific sources of greenhouse gas emissions on campus. The remaining two workgroups - Recycling & Environmental Literacy - were preexisting workgroups of the Environmental Policy Advisory Council (EPAC). In order to assist with the PCC efforts, these two workgroups will revise their previous scope to better align with the requirements of the PCC and the development of the university's Climate Action Plan (CAP). (The Reycling and Environmental Literacy workgroups will be jointly overseen by the CATF and the EPAC.)
Workgroup consists primarily of ad hoc members, including UConn staff, faculty and students, who have been invited to participate based on their interest in the topics covered by the subcommittee. The workgroups are open to anyone who wishes to be involved, however, including residents of the surrounding towns.
Climate Action Task Force (CATF) Workgroups
(Click on the workgroup name for more information.)
|
|
Energy Workgroup:
- Efficiency, Conservation, Installations & Retrofits
- Renewable Energies
- Supply & Infrastructure
|
|
Environmental Literacy Workgroup:
- Environmental Learning Community establishment
- Environmental Studies Program efforts
- Development of the Univeristy's Climate Action Plan's environmental literacy goals
|
|
Recycling & Waste Reduction Workgroup:
- Recycling
- Food Waste Reduction & Composting
- Electronics Recycling
- Green Chemistry
|
|
Sustainable Development Workgroup:
- Planning & Land Use
- Low Impact Design (LID)
- Green Building
|
|
Transportation Workgroup:
- Land Use and Transportation Planning and Design
- Transportation Demand Management and Multimodal Travel
- Fleet Fuel Type & Efficiency
|
What is the purpose of the workgroups?
The purpose of each CATF workgroup is to outline components of a University Climate Action Plan (for the UConn Storrs campus) related to the workgroup's scope, and to identify specific projects or initiatives that will result in measurable greenhouse gas emissions reductions as required by the Presidents Climate Commitment, while continuously reflecting the principles of the University's Environmental Policy Statement. Workgroup efforts will not only result in emissions reductions, but will continue to improve overall campus sustainability.
.
Each academic year, focus groups will be formed within the workgroups, to develop the initiatives deemed a priority or 'low-hanging fruits' by the workgroup. The focus groups will then develop measurable goals and implement action plans for achieving those initiatives. Changes in the annual greenhouse gas emissions inventory is one way that the success of the initiatives may be measured.
What is a Climate Action Plan?
A Climate Action Plan (CAP) is a tool that allows you to set a timeline for achieving goals, identify projects to achieve those goals, analyze the costs and benefits of proposed projects, and prioritize. The CAP is developed by first establishing strategies with key stakeholders (faculty, staff, students, community members). Next, the CATF workgroups identify projects and set performance metrics for measuring their progress. Using the GHG inventories conducted annually, data is analyzed and projects are implemented based upon their relative feasibililty and ability to achieve carbon reductions. The success of each project implemented is evaluated and refinements to the plan are made as necessary, to ensure an efficient process and constant progress towards the ultimate goal of carbon neutrality.
How much time will be required and how will the workgroups function?
The workgroups operate by consensus and will probably require one meeting for each of the steps in the process illustrated below. Workgroups should complete their work before the end of the next academic year. In addition, each workgroup member can expect to allocate a few hours a month to workgroup tasks. The Climate Action Plan Project Manager, the CATF co-chairs, and Office of Environmental Policy interns will provide workgroups with additional administrative and technical support, as needed.
