Hello,

Welcome to the first Rutgers Office of Climate Action newsletter! We'd like to take this opportunity to share what we have been working over the past year and outline our priorities for 2022-2023. Since launching a year ago in September 2021, the Office has laid the groundwork for a system of 10 Climate Action Groups (CAGs) that will implement the Climate Action Plan across Rutgers, from bus electrification to community resilience to campus culture. After meeting with the Rutgers community during our spring symposium last May, the CAG co-chairs spent the summer identifying members and incorporating your feedback into their plans.

We are pleased to share that the groups are officially launching this fall, along with a webinar series, starting October 13, to increase awareness and transparency of the work the CAGs are doing to achieve Rutgers’ climate goals. Learn more.

Operational CAGs each have a specific set of operational solutions to implement, and each chancellor unit has a CAG is charged with fostering a culture of sustainability on campus.

The Office is also excited to welcome our first cohort of climate action research interns this fall. These undergraduate students will help the Office move several key projects forward while gaining internship experience and professional development.

Thank you to everyone who has helped Rutgers reach this key turning point. We could not have gotten to this point without the support of the Rutgers community, from those who organized and marched for Climate Action in 2019, to those who served on the President’s Climate Task Force and working groups, to those who continue to advance climate action across the university. Recognizing that there is a rich history of sustainability at Rutgers, the Office will launch a sustainability history project this semester. Looking to the past will help us lean into Rutgers’ strengths, overcome potential barriers, and communicate the importance of sustainability and climate action.

The preliminary timeline graphic below includes a small selection of Rutgers’ sustainability history. Please click the images to view the full size versions.

On the near horizon, we are looking forward to developing and launching a climate action ambassador program to provide more opportunities for students to learn about and engage in climate action. Additionally, this winter, we will be making Rutgers’ first ever submission to AASHE STARS, which will present our sustainability data publicly. Data collected for STARS will form the basis for creating a metrics dashboard on our website that will increase transparency and allow us to track progress on our goals.

Thank you in advance to everyone who will help moving forward to ensure that the goals and vision outlined in the RU Climate Action Plan become a reality.

Angie Oberg

Associate Director, Office of Climate Action

Climate 101

What Is Carbon Neutrality and What Does It Mean for Rutgers?

A recent poll from the Morning Consult found that most adults in the U.S. don’t know what the term “carbon neutral” means, and only 45% of self-identified environmentalists were able to correctly identify the exact meaning of the phrase. With Rutgers committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2040 and becoming carbon-negative (removing more carbon dioxide than we are putting into the atmosphere) no later than the University’s 275th anniversary in 2041, it is worth starting off the year with a quick explanation of this terminology. Continue Reading…

Answer This Month’s Climate 101 Poll Question!

How confident are you in your understanding of scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions?

Submit Response

Spotlight - OCA Student Advisory Board

Student advocacy and input was essential to the creation and development of the Rutgers Climate Action Plan and the Office of Climate Action. Students continue to drive climate action at Rutgers through student-run organizations, coursework, and research. Additionally, student leaders on the OCA Student Advisory Board (SAB) provide input directly to the Office of Climate Action on programs, events, and more. They serve as key liaisons between the Office and student communities. To learn more, contact Katie Parrish, OCA program coordinator, at kparrish@oq.rutgers.edu.

Events Around RU

OCA Webinar: Energy and Buildings CAG

October 13, 1:00-2:00 pm

Learn more about the work of the Energy and Buildings Climate Action Group, led by Mike Kornitas, Director of Sustainability and Energy, IP&O.

Rutgers Global World Food Day Screening of We Feed People | October 13, 7:00-9:00 pm

Regional Symposium: Climate Change, Planetary, and Human Health | October 28, 9:00 am-5:00 pm

Rutgers Climate Institute Symposium 2022: Climate and Biodiversity | November 9

In Case You Missed it…

Mobilizing the University for Climate Transformation - OCA Spring 2022 Convening

Roundtable I: Mobilizing University Climate Action

Roundtable II: Laboratories of Climate Citizenship

Roundtable III: Partnering for Climate Action

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