Dear Chancellor Mnookin,
America’s colleges and universities are significant users of energy and are influential institutions in their communities.
Action by the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus to move towards a clean, renewable future will set an example for the rest of the nation. We are encouraged by the recent commitments and actions taken on campus to improve climate resilience. To meet those goals, we urge a strong commitment to a steady transition away from nonrenewable resources.
I urge you to commit the University of Wisconsin-Madison to a goal of
powering all operations with clean, renewable energy by no later than 2035 and for all electricity to come from renewable sources by 2030. As the university continues to use nonrenewable energy, it negatively impacts the health of communities around Wisconsin. This is in direct opposition to the Wisconsin Idea, wherein the beneficent influence of the University should reach every family of the state.
Furthermore, I urge you to commit the University of Wisconsin-Madison to the Second Nature Climate Commitment. This commitment combines the resilience plan the university is already working on with goal-setting to achieve carbon neutrality. Prioritizing carbon neutrality and resilience is essential to addressing the long-term costs of climate change.
