Goal: Carbon Neutrality by 2040
A requirement of our president’s signature on the “Carbon Commitment” (formerly named “American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment”) was the development of a Climate Action Plan with regular updates. UNE’s 2010 Climate Action Plan (PDF) identified 2040 as our goal for carbon neutrality with interim target reductions.
In 2017, UNE released the first update to the Climate Action Plan, which includes a summary of UNE's current greenhouse gas emissions inventory; mitigation and financing strategies; and education, outreach, and community engagement activities.
The 2017 Climate Action Plan (PDF) update addresses innovative as well as best practice strategies for mitigating our organization’s carbon emissions. The process for the development of UNE's 2017 Climate Action Plan update utilized a community engagement strategy known as the World Café. The goals of the UNE World Cafe event were to harvest new ideas, draft a roadmap for the Climate Action Plan, strengthen an environmental stewardship community mandate, and foster civic agency to support UNE’s goal of achieving climate neutrality.
Learn about the UNE Alfond Forum Solar Array Project
The 804-panel array is projected to generate 353,531 kilowatt-hours annually — enough to power 32 area homes. This initiative marks a substantial reduction in carbon emissions, with the project slated to offset the equivalent of over 173 metric tons of carbon dioxide each year.
By The Numbers
UNE Energy Use
average one-way vehicle miles per UNE commuter
(students, faculty, professional staff)
number of homes whose energy use equals UNE's electricity consumption in one year
percentage of electricity consumption produced by our on-site solar arrays
Carbon Emissions
Carbon Emissions by Category
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Carbon Emitted by Fiscal Year
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