The Minnesota State University Climate Action Plan An initiative of the University-Wide Environmental Standing Committee Partnered with Sebesta and URSI Funded with a Strategic Priorities Initiative grant

The Minnesota State University Climate Action Plan Presented to the Cabinet on May 11, 2015 Presented at Meet & Confer on September 3, 2015, for comments from the bargaining units Available at – climateactionplan/index.html

The Climate Action Plan A set of strategies and action steps arranged by category to make the University more sustainable. The categories: Buildings and energy Transportation Water Waste Purchasing Education and communication

How the Climate Action Plan was developed Kickoff Workshop Sept 24, 2015 – campus community and community at large provided input. Sebesta crafted the input into strategies and action steps. The CAP Subcommittee evaluated the strategies and action steps on the basis of five criteria – implementation cost, cost savings, GHG savings, visibility and difficulty. The CAP Subcommittee identified the offices and persons responsible for the implementation of each action step. The Writing Team interviewed and sought buy-in from the responsible persons. The Writing Team wrote the Report.

Important points Buy-in was obtained from all responsible parties. No initial funding is required for implementation; the Environmental Committee is pursuing a Foundation Account for future needs.

Benefits of the Climate Action Plan to Minnesota State Mankato Saves energy, saves money Conserves water, reduces waste production Suggests research projects for faculty and students Aids recruitment and giving Builds community

Questions? Louis Schwartzkopf Co-Chair, Environmental Committee Professor Emeritus of Physics Minnesota State University, Mankato