UGA began tracking tracking our Greenhouse Gas Emissions in 2010 the year of the formation of the Office of Sustainability and we’ve kept a continuous record of these emissions every since. In 2015 the UGA Campus Sustainability Plan established formalized the impact of our emissions tracking program by setting long term targets including a 20% reduction by 2020, 40% reduction by 2040, and carbon neutrality by 2060.
Learn more about sources of emissions and progress toward reduction goals at UGA.
Solar
Georgia Power owns and operates one megawatt of their solar resource on UGA property along South Milledge Avenue through a research partnership with the university. The energy it generates feeds directly to the grid, while UGA retains the solar renewable energy credits (SRECs). The array generates over 1,600 MWh per year, offsetting about 0.5% of UGA’s consumption of electricity from the grid. Download a Factsheet about the 1MW Solar Facility (PDF) written by UGA’s Utility and Energy Management
Solid Waste
In FY2012 landfill waste amounted to 5% of UGA’s gross emissions. After that point the county installed landfill gas capture and electricity generation, so using a standard method from Clean Air, Cool Planet the related emissions from solid waste disposal count as a small offset. Food scraps diverted from the landfill and composted at the UGA Bioconversion Center also yield a small offset.
Timber
UGA statewide timber holdings represent a sizeable offset of 70,773 tonnes of CO2, according to a 2013 study of their carbon sequestration potential by the Warnell School of Forestry. While the sequestration value is not in doubt, offsets from UGA’s timber holdings do not have additionality, meaning that carbon sequestration is not the reason UGA maintains ownership. Additionality is usually required for official offset programs.
The Sustainability Certificate incorporates applied learning in interdisciplinary settings and equips students with critical skills to address global sustainability challenges through real-world solutions.
