Temple University announced its 2019 Climate Action Plan on Monday, in time for Earth Day. The university updated its 2010 plan to include the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change October report and Philadelphia’s plan to power its facilities with renewable energy. Temple plans to mimic this.
In the new report, the university pledges to partner with an outside energy provider to use renewable energy, promote integrating sustainability into more curricula and teach sustainable living during orientation. The university will also use more eco-friendly food packaging and reaffirmed its commitment to be carbon neutral by 2050.
We commend Temple for recognizing its environmental impact and updating its policies to reflect new international guidelines, committing to making campus more sustainable.
We also encourage students to do what they can to make eco-friendly choices within their own control, not just on Earth Day or during Temple’s Sustainability Week. Starting next semester, students living within Temple Police’s patrol boundaries can sign up for a compost pickup program to have waste from their off-campus apartments benefit the Temple Community Garden instead of going to a landfill.
Between the 2010 report and Monday’s plan, the university made strides toward becoming more sustainable. It increased in both square footage and enrollment from 2006-18, but net greenhouse gas emissions still dropped 7 percent.
As the 2019 Climate Action Plan is implemented, we hope to see progress like this continue at Temple.
Be the first to comment