UAlbany Signs Onto Program to Reduce Plastics on Campus
ALBANY, N.Y. (Nov. 26, 2024) — Last week UAlbany took another step toward environmental sustainability and responsibility by signing the National Wildlife Federation’s Plastics Reduction Pledge.
The pledge, part of the Plastics Reduction Partner program, signals a campus’s commitment toward eliminating plastic use by building awareness and supporting behavior change, and by making operational changes in areas such as purchasing.
The ceremonial signing was part of a Climate Action Town Hall hosted by UAlbany’s Office of Sustainability on Nov. 15 in the Campus Center Ballroom. The event focused on the draft SUNY Climate Action and Sustainability Plan and SUNY representatives were on hand to answer questions about the plan during sessions that focused on academics and workforce development; clean energy and sustainable operations; and inclusive engagement and climate justice.
Representatives from the Student Association – who had voted to sign a plastics reduction pledge – were on hand, as were representatives from the Graduate Students Association, the facilities department, University Auxiliary Services and the sustainability coordinators group.
“Joining the partner program goes beyond simply signing a pledge because it includes a checklist of actions we hold ourselves accountable to take on,” said Mary Ellen Mallia, UAlbany’s director of sustainability, who signed the document.
President Havidán Rodríguez signed the agreement in advance because he was out of the country on University business and unable to attend the event. Vice President for Finance and Administration Todd Foreman spoke on behalf of University leadership, calling the signing a symbolic moment. “We’re already passionate about this work,” he said. “I’m a firm believer in ‘what gets measured gets done.’”
Informational Town Hall
The Climate Action Town Hall was a half-day of information and discussion on SUNY’s systemwide sustainability plan, which includes goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2030 and 85 percent by 2050, using 1990 levels as the baseline. The plan also calls for increasing research in climate and sustainability fields focusing on developing innovative technology and insights for climate solutions, as well as increased classroom and experiential learning so students learn how climate affects communities and the roles they can play to effect change.
Operational goals listed in the draft plan include converting campus fleet vehicles to cleaner fuels with a goal of zero emissions; work toward zero waste, with interim goals of diverting materials from landfills through composting and reuse; and phasing out single-use plastics.
The plastics reduction partnership signed by UAlbany aligns both with the SUNY draft plan and with Gov. Hochul’s Executive Order 22, which requires all state agencies to adopt sustainability and carbon reduction plans, Mallia said. “This goes above and beyond in terms of developing education, communication and awareness of plastic reduction.”
Institutions that join the partner program collect data and are rated in four categories:
- Building awareness
- Supporting behavior change
- Assessing and implementing operational change
- Demonstrating institutional leadership
As a start, UAlbany has selected two actions in each of the four categories to concentrate on, Mallia said. Data will be collected over the spring semester, and submitted to receive a rating from the National Wildlife federation. Only one other SUNY school has signed the pledge – SUNY ESF – and Bard College is the only school in New York that has received a rating (bronze).