By Hayden Whirley
In 2021, University of Maryland President Darryll Pines announced that the University of Maryland will achieve university-wide carbon neutrality for all scopes of emissions by 2025.
Three years later, the university remains proactive in advancing sustainability and climate efforts.
Carbon neutrality is defined by a balance between the greenhouse gasses the world produces and the removal of those gasses from the atmosphere, according to WorkforClimate.
To achieve net-zero carbon emissions, UMD has implemented many initiatives such as operating all new buildings as carbon neutral and reducing electricity consumption through infrastructure upgrades.
In 2018, campus greenhouse gas emissions were reduced by more than 50%, compared to the baseline figure set in 2005. Reducing campus carbon emissions by 50% was achieved two years ahead of the 2020 target, outlined in the university’s planned emissions trajectory.
Campus sustainability is impacted by multiple factors including buildings, energy, food, landscape, transportation, waste and water. The university’s strategies for meeting climate action targets are outlined in the Climate Action Plan, created in 2009 and updated accordingly.
UMD has installed green roofs on campus to absorb rainwater on rooftops and reduce the amount of paved surfaces on campus. The first green roof system was installed in 2008 on Cumberland Hall, covering about 65% of the roof, according to the SustainableUMD website.
Green roofs function to reduce stormwater runoff, improve water quality, increase biodiversity and create new habitats for insects and birds. The plants on the roofs absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen into the atmosphere. These green spaces can make the roof last twice as long and reduce heating and cooling costs.
Additional green roof locations on campus include the Edward St. John Learning and Teaching Center, the Adele H. Stamp Student Union, and the Brendan Iribe Center for Computer Science and Engineering.
ESJ’s green roof offers educational opportunities featuring a living research lab for UMD students to collect and analyze data, monitor nutrient levels and evaluate plant performance.
Biowalls, walls full of living plants that use water and light to grow, are installed in Stamp and McKeldin Library to contribute to healthier air quality and greening the overall aesthetic value of the buildings.
UMD’s Community Learning Garden was started in 2010 to educate community members about healthy eating and where food comes from. The garden also means to foster a stronger connection with nature.
The CLG is a student-run space managed by a CLG student club, advisors from the Institute of Applied Agriculture and the UMD Arboretum and Botanical Garden. The garden is located between Eppley Recreation Center and the School of Public Health.
The garden donates 100% of its produce to the UMD Campus Pantry located in the lower level of the South Campus Dining Hall, free to anyone with a university ID.
“Our main focus has shifted to creating a food system on campus where people on campus can easily access food,” said Daniel Feliciano, the CLG club vice president and a senior environmental science and technology major. “We can help combat food insecurity.”
The CLG takes part in sustainable initiatives like collecting runoff rainwater from the nearby parking lot, storing it in a swell and utilizing a solar power system to pump the water to the garden’s terraces. This conserves water and maximizes absorption efficiency, which allows plants to be watered at a consistent rate.
Working to educate people about the fundamentals of gardening, the CLG uses important sustainable methods of gardening and environmental science, according to Feliciano. The garden uses sustainable growing practices for all produce, herbs and flowers.
The garden also participates in outreach to local preschools and elementary schools to visit the garden and hosts activities for kids during the annual Maryland Day.
Various organizations including College Mentors for Kids contribute to the garden, offering mentorship and guidance to children. Additionally, fraternities and other campus clubs volunteer at the CLG for community service hours.
“It’s prepared me for a job and gave me the confidence I really need to accomplish a project that needs to get done,” said Feliciano. “It’s allowed me to meet a lot of people on campus that aren’t in my major.”
Spring volunteer hours are open to anyone on Mondays and Thursdays from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
“[The CLG] is a safe, stress free zone,” Feliciano said. “You can just come for an hour and get relaxation because when you garden it’s a nice mind eraser.”
One of the upcoming projects Feliciano said he was looking forward to was adding native plants to the garden.
“Energy – where it comes from and how much we use – has major implications for the environment and our health,” according to the SustainableUMD website. The extraction and combustion of fossil fuels is linked to climate change and polluting air and water quality.
UMD is dedicated to seeking carbon neutral, renewable and efficient energy systems. More than 9,000 solar panels are installed on campus. The university partnered with WGL Energy and the Maryland Energy Administration to install three solar panel canopies on the Regents Drive, Terrapin Trail and Mowatt Lane parking garages.
As of 2020, 100% of purchased electricity is generated by renewable sources, according to the SustainableUMD website. In 2021, President Pines announced the goal to transition all university vehicles to electric by 2035, committing the university to a 100% zero emissions vehicle fleet.
UMD is also committed to enhancing opportunities for all students to learn about sustainability and climate action.
The sustainability studies minor started in 2012 as a joint initiative between the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the School of Public Policy, and it is now one of the university’s most popular minors. Creating this minor was one of the university’s original Climate Action Plan goals.
The minor was created to further the University of Maryland’s commitment to sustainability by expanding educational and research opportunities for students, according to Joanna Goger, co-director of the sustainability studies minor.
“Students in the minor have participated in many leadership opportunities across campus, including internships at the Office of Sustainability and leadership positions within many environmental and student groups across campus,” said Goger.
The UMD Office of Sustainability strives to develop and implement sustainable policies, practices and programs that benefit the campus community.
“Students graduating with the minor have taken jobs at nonprofits, government agencies at all levels and corporations,” said Goger. “Even if students do not enter careers directly in sustainability, the minor creates a sustainability lens for graduates that they can apply to any professional activities.”
“Learning about sustainability has fundamentally changed my career trajectory… through the Office of Sustainability I got connected with people at EPA and secured an EPA internship for the summer in D.C.,” said Anushka Tandon, a junior environmental science and technology major with a sustainability studies minor.
The minor requires the completion of 15 credits, while students enhance their ability to think critically and advance solutions to issues that impact the environment, the economy and social equity.
“I have really appreciated getting to learn about sustainability from an academic standpoint through different lenses … now getting exposure to broader scale information about sustainability at a macro level across the globe,” said Tandon.
Featured Image: The University of Maryland’s Community Learning Garden. Photo by Hayden Whirley.
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