Climate Action Commitment

Climate Action Commitment Revision Process

Approved initially in 2009 by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors, and revised in 2013, the original Virginia Tech Climate Action Commitment served as the university’s guiding framework around sustainability and energy efficiency in campus operations, facilities, curriculum, and research for 10 years.

In 2019, President Tim Sands called for its renewal and revision to ensure the most stringent climate and sustainability standards are implemented as Virginia Tech continues to grow and seeks to be a leader in environmental stewardship.

Proposed revisions were presented to the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors in November 2020. A comprehensive financial review of the proposed revisions took place in March 2021, which ended with the Board of Visitors unanimously voting to approve!

November 2020: Climate Action Commitment Working Group Executive Report

Read the report

Background

The Virginia Tech 2020 Climate Action Commitment sets the university on a path to carbon neutrality by 2030. There are 14 other recommended actions in the commitment to include:

Pursue 100% renewable electricity by 2030
Pursue a zero waste campus by 2030
Reduce transportation related GHG emissions by 40% by 2030
Establish climate justice as a core value
Establish a Climate Action Living Laboratory to enhance educational opportunities

For more information on the Climate Action Commitment, please watch this educational webinar conducted by the Office of Sustainability and Dr. John Randolph during Earth Week 2021. To hear more about our progress since the Climate Action Commitment's approval in March 2021, watch our One-Year-Later Panel Discussion with experts from around campus that the Office of Sustainability hosted during Earth Week 2022. If you have additional questions about specific goals, please see our contacts page.

Annual Reports

To ensure progress towards the goals are met, the university conducts annual assessments to measure actual progress each year and releases these reports to the public.