Over 10 years ago, the University of Oregon introduced its Climate Action Plan. Today, environmental activist groups in Eugene say it is not enough. 

On Dec. 6, 2022, activists from Beyond Toxics, Fossil Free Eugene and the Sierra Club provided public comment at a meeting of the university’s Board of Trustees following a Dec. 5, 2022 meeting in which a presentation was shown detailing the progress UO has made fulfilling its CAP. The activists said they want the university to transition away from the use of fossil fuels and take achievable steps toward becoming carbon neutral.

“It is good that the university has a Climate Action Plan, but [UO] needs to be looking further at how to stop emissions,” Paige Hopkins, a member of Beyond Toxics, said. 

Hopkins said Beyond Toxics was there as a proponent for changing the boiler heating system to electric, as the current one runs on methane gas.

The most recent iteration of the CAP calls for a transition away from using natural gas to heat campus. However, according to the greenhouse gas tracker available on the UO sustainability dashboard, building heating accounted for 72% of total emissions in 2021. The industrial boilers distribute the steam that heats the buildings on campus.

The Sierra Club issued a press release on Dec. 1, 2022 signed by students and advocates alike that urged the university to replace the gas boilers with an electric alternative.

In 2021, the University of Oregon was responsible for over 21,600 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions for its steam and air-conditioning supply, according to the Department of Environmental Quality’s 2021 reported greenhouse gas emissions.

There are studies in progress by the university that aim to increase energy efficiency and reduce emissions, including the winter turn-down program and a campus-wide LED retrofit, among others. These studies can be found on the campus planning & facilities management website and are said to be completed no later than 2024.

At the Dec. 5, 2022 meeting of the Board of Trustees, sustainability director Steve Mital gave a presentation on the progress of the current CAP. The presentation showed energy consumption from 2011-2019 did not increase despite “significant growth in building square footage.”

“While we still do energy efficiency work in the existing buildings, we are no longer in a position to promise that those energy efficiency savings would net out the energy requirements for the new buildings,” referring to the construction of new buildings on campus. 

The slideshow detailed a list of actions that UO intends to take to “have a direct impact” on energy consumption and emissions in the next five years. This included studies that hope to create a better understanding of the cost of this project, what they could realistically achieve for emissions reduction and the student impact. 

The city of Eugene is also committed to becoming carbon neutral. It also has a goal to reduce emissions by 50% in comparison to 2010’s levels by 2030. Eugene has just voted to ban natural gas from newly built residences that are under three stories.

Climate activists and students, like the ones who signed the Sierra Club’s letter, say it is critical that the university transition off of fossil fuel use in its buildings as fast as possible.

“UO isn’t alone,” Dylan Plummer, from the Sierra Club, said, but there is a need for “concrete benchmarks and strategy.”
The University of Oregon’s next update to the Climate Action Plan is scheduled to be released in Spring 2024.