As a part of its efforts on climate change and carbon neutrality initiative, the University of California has announced its plans to reach 100 percent reliance on clean energy supply across the campus by 2025.
The initiative, which has already saved the university $220 million in electricity bills, will also ensure it becomes operationally carbon neutral by the same year.
The university has said that from now on, its own power company will provide 100 percent clean electricity to the participating campuses and its medical centers.
“From LED lighting to all-electric fleets, we are proud of the countless energy efficiency and clean energy actions we have taken to tackle climate change,” David Phillips, UC’s associate vice president of Energy and Sustainability, said.
“These ambitious new targets, which align with those of our student environmental leaders, will ensure that our electricity comes from clean sources, extending UC leadership in modeling sustainability solutions.”
The university has further announced that it won’t carry out any major renovations of the buildings after June 2019, and in special circumstances will only use the one site fossil fuel combustion. It has also directed its campuses to reduce the municipal solid waste to 25 percent by 2025 and 50 percent by 2030.
“Today’s announcement formalizes our long-held belief that healthy communities cannot be sustained in the midst of an increasingly unhealthy environment,” Dr. John Stobo, executive vice president of UC Health, said.
Earlier this year, the university launched the University Climate Change Coalition, which aims to initiate climate action at local and regional level.