UNC Asheville celebrates Spring Greenfest March 31-April 12, 2022, with several visible signs of a fresh future springing up. Four new electrical vehicle chargers stand ready across from Highsmith Student Union, a 26kW solar panel system is ready to be installed at the Reuter Center, home of the Osher Lifelong Learning Center, to power continued learning, $10,000 of gifted consulting services have just been announced for the Office of Sustainability and a comprehensive Climate Action Plan, developed by dozens of students, faculty and staff, is guiding the University toward its goal of being carbon neutral by 2050, and that’s just a few of the steps from the first year of the commitment.
Key to reaching the carbon neutrality goal is a Climate Action Plan (CAP), which will guide the University in its work throughout the next 28 years. UNC Asheville’s draft CAP has been developed by Interim Co-Director of Sustainability Alison Ormsby, with contributions from faculty and students. Second Nature, the nonprofit organization that coordinates the Carbon Commitment, has named UNC Asheville a recipient of their Pro Bono Consulting initiative, which will provide professional consulting from Brailsford & Dunlavey and bring the University’s CAP to the next level.
“UNC Asheville is proud to be selected as a recipient of the Pro Bono Consulting initiative with Second Nature. Our University is a national leader in shaping a sustainable future and we appreciate the opportunity to advance our institutional commitments to model sustainable practices and integrate environmental literacy throughout campus,” said Chancellor Nancy J. Cable.
“We are building on our past successes and will utilize this opportunity to create the strategic framework to address greenhouse gas emissions in alignment with the University of North Carolina Asheville's goals and values."
Additionally, UNC Asheville is in the process of completing the installation of 26 kW solar panel system at the Reuter Center on campus, home of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. The project is taking place in partnership with Buncombe County, which provided the initial feasibility assessment. Funding for the solar panel installation has been provided by 55 individual OLLI members who collectively donated $24,774 to the project; a $5,000 donation from Pine Gate Renewables; and by a grant for building improvements from the Janirve Foundation, which will cover the remaining $45,568 of the project costs. Over the 30-year lifespan on the solar panels, the total electric bill savings is an estimated $168,000.
"OLLI members share the university's commitment to carbon neutrality and are grateful to have been able as individuals and an organization to be part of the effort to ensure a sustainable future for the Reuter Center,” said Catherine Frank, executive director of OLLI.
The University’s carbon neutrality goal also takes into account carbon produced commuting to and from campus. To that end, the University has added four additional electric vehicle charging stations. UNC Asheville’s Student Environmental Center supported the project by paying the upfront reimbursable costs of the chargers. Those costs will be reimbursed by more than $20K of funding from the VW Settlement Fund administered by the NC Department of Environmental Quality.
“These are the first networked chargers on campus,” said Hamstead. “This allows Campus Operations to monitor usage and set-up notifications if the chargers are in need of maintenance.”
The EV chargers can be used by UNC Asheville faculty, staff and students, and visitors that have the proper parking permit.
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