Championing Climate Action and Sustainability
The goals, objectives, and principles of Campus Plan 2050 support Climate Action, Sustainability and Environmental Justice by integrating strategies to advance carbon neutrality through all aspects of campus planning and ensuring justice considerations in the sourcing and disposal of materials for construction and renovation.
Goal 1: Achieve carbon neutrality by 2040.
Objectives
- Continue to convert heating and cooling systems on campus to electric heat pumps and geoexchange and coordinate with living lab opportunities.
- Reduce energy consumption across the building portfolio and university vehicle fleet.
- Continue to evaluate emerging technical options for eliminating natural gas as a fuel source.
- Evaluate cost of ongoing maintenance vs. total replacement in aging buildings and building operating systems.
- Maximize onsite renewable energy on campus including solar PV.
- Create opportunities to educate and inform the campus community about these practices.
Goal 2: Steward water resources on campus.
Objectives
- Continue to maximize water conservation strategies in buildings and landscape practices.
- Evaluate stormwater management plans for potential water re-use opportunities.
Goal 3: Preserve habitat and quality open space.
Objectives
- Assess the current ecosystem services on campus and consider conducting new, comprehensive ecosystem surveys of the Ann Arbor campus.
- To enhance planning, conduct a comprehensive ecological assessment of the campus with the objective of developing an integrative habitat stewardship and climate resilience plan.
Goal 4: Develop the campus as a living laboratory for sustainability education, research, and environmental justice.
Objectives
- Consider designating locations for cutting-edge research demonstrations of sustainable solutions in the built environment, in addition to visible demonstrations of current best-in-class practices.
- Develop processes by which students, faculty, and staff can engage together on applied problem-solving in planning and the built environment.
- Develop and incorporate environmental justice principles into campus growth spanning building design, construction, siting, and procurement processes.
- Identify high-traffic geo-exchange locations for installing signature, highly visible educational showcases, coordinated with living lab research and teaching interests.
Climate Action, Sustainability and Environmental Justice Principles
- Reserve campus land for sustainable infrastructure requirements and expansion including geo-exchange bores and ground source heat pumps, PV solar installations, future utility plants, and new electrical substations.
- Identify development strategies that align with mission-critical priorities and also advance carbon neutrality goals through operations and coordinated infrastructure systems.
- Conduct comprehensive energy and utility master planning studies to enable thoughtful sequencing and coordination of conversion projects.
- Pair infrastructure conversion efforts with other priorities such as accessibility, safety systems, and others.
- Develop a comprehensive climate resilience plan that informs all campus and development plans.
- Reduce unnecessary impervious surfaces to improve stormwater management; utilize porous pavement and other emerging technologies where appropriate.
- Plan stormwater facilities in response to flood zones, wetlands, etc. Integrate nature-based stormwater solutions to open space design to reduce stormwater impact, improve water quality and campus experience, and enhance biohabitat.
- Design landscapes with native and drought- tolerant species that require minimal irrigation.
- Evaluate options for water reuse including condensate water and stormwater harvesting for treatment and reuse for irrigation.
Natural Features
- Respect and incorporate important natural features and existing open spaces into the built environment; provide views and access to natural features; identify and respect the development challenges associated with important natural features.
- Integrate natural features such as woodland, wetland, and distinct topography into the framework for campus growth.
- Preserve existing high-quality woodlots and natural features where possible; minimize impacts to trees.
- Accommodate and improve natural streams and wetland systems; create a generous buffer area from new development.
- Offset tree loss by reforestation efforts and other appropriate strategies.
Open Space
- Optimize the quality and functionality of campus landscapes and open spaces; strengthen connections between open spaces to create a cohesive and unified campus.
- Incorporate enhanced civic open space, courtyards, and plazas in association with all future development as appropriate.
- Create a “working landscape” including comprehensive, integrated strategies for stormwater management, regional grounds, and waste management space needs.
- Create memorable spaces using natural systems and formal structure.
- Interweave the natural and built environment so that nature is integral to the campus experience.
- Plan spaces between buildings as defining areas of the campus landscape.
- Organize new developments to define, strengthen, and reinforce significant open spaces.
- Respect, enhance, and extend the established landscape character of the campuses and other significant open spaces, e.g., the Diag, the Grove.
- Consider demonstration projects that enhance the campus experience and performance. For example: urban agriculture and community gardens; energy, carbon, and water conservation projects; pollinator gardens and biodiversity enhancements; tree succession planning; and public art and design projects.