Universities leading the net zero transition

Smith College (Massachusetts, U.S.), Strathmore University (Nairobi, Kenya), Tecnológico de Monterrey (Monterrey, Mexico) and Western Sydney University (Sydney, Australia) are universities from across the globe with one thing in common – a commitment to decarbonize and innovate in the race to zero emissions. The Climate Champions’ Team spoke with each university to find out how higher education can not only reduce pollution through their own activities, but also influence others for a healthier, more resilient, zero carbon world.

Lowering emissions through geothermal 

In 2007, Smith College was an original signatory to the President’s Climate Leadership Commitment administered by Race to Zero Partner, Second Nature. Since then, Smith has joined the Race to Zero to address the urgency of climate change with multiple techniques, including art competitions and sewage heat recovery.

One key project has been the ‘Geothermal Energy Project’ which seeks to change on-campus fossil fuel driven energy sources into geothermal sources powered by renewable electricity and will lower the college’s emissions by nearly 80%, reduce consumption of water by 10% and improve local air quality. Dr. Beth Hooker, Director of Sustainability, notes a wider benefit of the project has been to influence research from those within the university: “we are already seeing faculty re-tune their research to support the Geothermal Energy Project.” In her view, universities have a dual role in not only promoting sustainable on-site activity, but also in developing related research (e.g., Professors Judy Cardell and Luca Capogna), which can influence wider society. Dr. Hooker notes that Smith College has been very engaged in sharing their best practice, through for example Second Nature’s Higher Education Summits. “Smith is further ahead than a lot of colleges that are starting their journey, so it is important for us to be together with others and talk about lessons learnt”.  

The triple helix: government, private sector and academia 

Professor Izael Da Silva, of Strathmore University Kenya, embodies the motto “walking the talk”. Since the 90s, Da Silva has developed research expertise in renewable energy, training more than 5000 engineers on the design and maintenance of solar systems. Beyond his teaching, Da Silva has also influenced his University to turn research into action, by installing 10 years ago a solar system which has helped to not only reduce emissions by generating up to 75% of Strathmore’s electricity needs – but also cutting electricity bills. The campus has been registered as an independent power producer where the energy they do not use is given to the national grid for payment. Partnerships with the private sector have also been part of Da Silva’s work – including across borders with Australian company Fortescue to develop greener mining systems in Africa. Moreover, Strathmore University is engaging with local governments (Kenya’s four counties) to support the development of local energy plans. The University is also supporting research and innovation projects in clean cooking, electric vehicles and geothermal energy, with the Sustainable Development Goals guiding this work. For Da Silva, success is all about the “Triple helix: government, private sector and academia. Bring these together and you make a positive mark on the planet”.

Culture change at the heart of transition planning

Tecnológico de Monterrey’s journey to decarbonize started decades ago, but their net zero commitment through joining the Race to Zero accelerated action. Cynthia María Villarreal Muraira, Director of Sustainable Development and Engagement, notes that this led to the development of Ruta Azul, their  Sustainability and Climate Change Plan, The plan aims to achieve net zero emissions by 2039, with near-term goals of reducing emissions by 50% and sourcing 80% of consumed energy from renewable sources by 2025. The plan also includes initiatives in education, adaptation, research, and outreach for climate action.

At the core of their plan is a focus on culture change, which helps embed the strategy throughout the institution, engaging a wide range of stakeholders, including facilities teams, faculty, researchers, students, and decision-makers at regional and national levels. To support this effort, 29 sustainability committees have been established across different campuses and hospitals, involving over 200 people in implementing national initiatives and designing local projects aligned with the plan’s targets. This is in addition to the students and more than 180 leaders and staff who are actively working towards achieving the plan’s specific targets by 2025. Their main learnings from transition planning were three-fold:

• Engage with your broader community within the university – for example, they created working groups on each campus and are assigning different KPIs to leaders and areas within the university;
• Embrace your university’s diversity – throughout the institution, there are a range of professionals and students to support and implement the plan;
• Understand the university’s methods of influence, to collaborate across the ecosystem – for example with other universities, governments, and international groupings, such IUCN, UC3, SDSN and the Race to Zero.

Overall, by connecting with the university’s internal culture, “People felt connected and aligned with the strategy and did not see it as another initiative.”

Linking the Race to Resilience with the Race to Zero

Western Sydney University is the home to around 45,000 students – many of whom are the first to graduate from their families. Like many other universities, Western Sydney University’s commitment to the Race to Zero was the spark for further sustainability work, particularly in carbon transition planning, developing an Emissions Reduction Strategy, and tracking an overall 8% decrease in scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions from 2021 – 2023. The university’s efforts to decarbonize can’t be separated from its resilience work. From scorching temperatures in January 2019 and major bushfires, to flooding in the Hawkesbury area and the social isolation of Covid-19, Western Sydney University has seen first-hand the human impacts of a changing climate. The University has developed collaborative partnerships for utilising campus assets as a focus of training, research and engagement i.e., “living labs”, particularly in terms of climate resilience responses. For example, their ‘Resilience Roadshows’ informed staff and students of their preliminary resilience assessment and their ‘Hawkesbury Bush Fire Unit’ has trained staff in readiness to bush-fires. Dr Roger Attwater, Senior Manager, Environmental Sustainability, recalls that “resilience is a life-cycle” and “you can’t leave people behind”, especially the student voice and Indigenous voices.

For more information and further case studies from the education sector please visit https://www.educationracetozero.org/. The Race to Zero for Universities and Colleges is powered by the EAUC, Second Nature and United Nations Environment Programme.