Climate Action Plan (CAP) Review 2020

The Environmental Advisory Committee (EAC) is discussing and advising on updates to Carleton’s 2011 Climate Action Plan during the academic year 2020-2021. The EAC will:

• Review past progress and goals of the 2011 Climate Action Plan (CAP)
• Identify gaps in the 2011 CAP and advise on how to address them
• Recommend high-level goals and updates to the CAP sections  
• Advise on how Carleton’s updated CAP should reflect the current context of elevated climate crises, a global pandemic and urgent calls for justice 
• Recruit campus departments, committees, organizations and individuals whose expertise and input should be included in these discussions
• Recommend which campus departments, committees or individuals should be responsible – over a longer period of time – for implementing the goals of the updated Climate Action Plan 
• Once recommendations are compiled, support and assist with a broader campus communication, review and approval process
• Provide ongoing oversight of the plan once it is updated by supporting the efforts, monitoring progress,and communicating updates to campus

To do this work, the Sustainability Office staff created a series of workshops intended to help facilitate this process. Phase 1 includes four workshops focused on the overarching CAP context and framework. Phase 2 includes “nuts and bolts” workshops that are focused on specific topics. For Phase 2 workshops, the EAC invite subject-matter experts and other interested campus constituents to help define appropriate goals for each CAP section. 

The EAC will conclude its 2020-21 work with a set of recommendations for broader campus review and approval. The EAC recommendations and workshop outcomes will then provide a basis for the actual writing of Carleton’s updates to the 2011 Climate Action Plan (to be completed by Sustainability Office staff and others, as needed).