March 19, 2015
UW releases strategy for reaching transportation carbon neutrality
The University of Washington’s latest step toward its goal of carbon neutrality by 2050 came last week, with the release of its Climate Action Strategy for Transportation, or CAST.
The CAST follows the UW Climate Action Plan, a set of broad strategies to guide the UW to the goal of carbon neutrality that was released in 2009. The CAST suggests specific actions for reducing emissions in the transportation sector.
“This represents an important step toward strategically reducing a significant portion of UW’s greenhouse gas emissions,” said UW Transportation Services Director Josh Kavanagh. Greenhouse gas emissions from transportation represent nearly one-third of total emissions at UW.
The CAST includes interim emissions reduction goals and actionable strategies. It focuses on how to best encourage more commuters to choose more sustainable transportation options more of the time. In addition to commuting, the CAST outlines strategies for reducing emissions from UW Fleet vehicles and electricity used in parking facilities and Transportation Services’ offices.
As a result of the CAST, organizations across the region are turning to UW Transportation Services for its work calculating carbon reductions and research in how to promote sustainable commuting.
“This is an under-researched field—we’re trying to stay ahead of the curve,” Kavanagh said.
Read the CAST or the executive summary at transportation.uw.edu/cast.
