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Chancellor King Announces SUNY’s Draft Climate and Sustainability Action Plan and Encourages Comments

New York, N.Y– Sept. 26, 2024 - During New York City’s Climate Week, State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. invited public comment on SUNY’s draft Climate and Sustainability Action Plan—aimed to achieve net-zero SUNY-wide greenhouse gas emissions and zero waste in line with Governor Kathy Hochul’s clean energy goals. The plan details the university system’s actions in areas including institutional commitment, education, research, workforce, facilities, operations, and inclusion. The full report and intake for comments is available here. Following the comment period, the recommendations will be brought to the SUNY Board of Trustees for consideration.

“SUNY’s commitment to climate action and sustainability is embodied in our operations, our academic excellence, and our research leadership,” said King, who delivered remarks at the New York Climate Exchange Inaugural Climate Tech Showcase. “This Climate Week, we look forward to celebrating the climate accomplishments we’ve made across our campuses thus far and the work that is yet to come as we lead the way into a climate responsible future. This would not be possible without the leadership and support of our Chief Sustainability Officer, the Sustainability Advisory Council, and the campus leaders who created the draft Sustainability Action Plan that will guide the decades-long efforts to achieve net-zero emissions.”

The draft Climate and Sustainability Action Plan includes recommendations in seven strategic areas:

  • Institutional Commitment to Climate and Sustainability Action
  • Education about Climate Change and its Impacts
  • Research for Climate Solutions
  • Green Workforce Development
  • Clean Energy Powered Facilities
  • Sustainable Operations
  • Inclusive Engagement and Climate Justice

 “The work this advisory council is doing is a testament to the respect we must pay to all approaches toward sustainability,” said ESF President Joanie Mahoney. “This draft lays out a clear set of goals and actions for investing in climate and sustainability programs. The work could not have been done without broad SUNY partnerships, and enacting both the goals and actions is our next important task.”

SUNY operates 40% of all New York state owned buildings, and while its footprint has grown in total square footage, SUNY’s overall greenhouse gas emissions from direct and indirect use of fuel and electricity has decreased by more than 36% from 1990 to 2023, as measured by international standards. The SUNY system is committed to achieving net-zero SUNY-wide greenhouse gas emissions from fuel and electricity. SUNY has built 49 renewable energy installations that generate 33,000 MWH a year. With strict internal building standards, SUNY has seen a 13% reduction in energy use from 2015 to 2023, installed 308 chargers, and converted 10% of its light-duty fleet to electric vehicles.

Chancellor King convened a 53-person SUNY Sustainability Advisory Council representing 29 separate community colleges, technical colleges, comprehensive colleges, and research universities. The draft report is spearheaded by the university system’s Sustainability Advisory Council, which is co-chaired by ESF President Joanie Mahoney and Alberto Cardelle, president of SUNY Oneonta. The Council also includes members of the SUNY Board of Trustees, campus faculty, administration, sustainability leaders, students, alumni, and system administration staff. 

Governor Hochul appointed Chancellor King to the State Energy Planning Board chaired by the President and CEO of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and comprised of the heads of state agencies and authorities, appointees from the Governor, Senate, and Assembly, and the president of the New York Independent System Operator. The Board will update New York’s comprehensive roadmap to build a clean, resilient, and affordable energy system for all New Yorkers.

About SUNY ESF

The SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) is dedicated to the study of the environment, developing renewable technologies, and building a sustainable and resilient future through design, policy, and management of the environment and natural resources. Members of the College community share a passion for protecting the health of the planet and a deep commitment to the rigorous application of science to improve the way humans interact with the world. The College offers academic programs ranging from the associate of applied science to the Doctor of Philosophy. ESF students live, study and do research on the main campus in Syracuse, N.Y., and on 25,000 acres of field stations in a variety of ecosystems across the state.

About The SUNY Sustainability Advisory Council

To meet those demands, the SUNY Sustainability Advisory Council will harness the diverse clean-energy programs throughout SUNY campuses and support students throughout their education with applied learning experiences linked to real-world career opportunities (e.g., internships and post-program job placement opportunities with municipalities, union partners, and local businesses). SUNY has an existing number of academic and hands-on training programs that lead to high-paying jobs in the state's growing clean-energy sector. The Sustainability Advisory Council will create educational and career pathways for workers statewide in clean-energy fields. The advisory council will work in conjunction with SUNY's Offshore Wind Training Institute—a collaboration between Farmingdale State College and Stony Brook University—that is projected to train 2,500 workers and provide training and retraining opportunities for all key planks of the clean-energy sector. SUNY System Administration will coordinate ongoing clean-energy market research and technologies through the Rockefeller Institute for Government and NY Small Business Development Center to strengthen and prepare for emerging academic and workforce training demands.

About The State University of New York

The State University of New York, which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state’s only college of optometry, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.4 million students amongst its entire portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.1 billion in fiscal year 2022, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and one in three New Yorkers with a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit www.suny.edu.

 

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