Energy Transition & Resilience Plan

In 1992, global leaders convened for the “Earth Summit”, the first international gathering that provided consensus on creating action to create a “new charter” to set new norms to guide the transition towards sustainable development. Perhaps an even smaller known fact is that it was a Texan President who signed this declaration that promised to deliver the framework that ensured any further economic development would need to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. We at UTA quickly followed suit, and shortly after the Earth Summit, began establishing our own programs to ensure that our actions here on campus would help contribute towards a more sustainable future for all.

In the more than 20 years that have followed, paralleling the evolving global sustainability landscape, our goals at UTA have significantly advanced. Over the next year, we will gather groups of leaders made up of faculty, staff, and students to envision the physical development of UTA’s future in the Campus Master Plan. At the same time, we have also chosen this time to launch our new Energy Transition and Resilience Plan (ETRP). This document will update our goals around a variety of topics and will provide a pathway towards sustainable energy resources by 2040. This plan will also act as our main policy document to ensure that the development outlined in our Campus Master Plan is synergistic with our sustainability goals. The Energy Transition and Resilience Plan will outline actions that can be taken, but also the accountability and structure of people needed to deliver those actions. Finally, it recognizes that dramatic action comes with a price, most likely more than our historical development, and will look to outline, attract, and structure projects in alignment with new investment opportunities.

This plan is an exciting opportunity to shape a better future for ourselves and our region. I encourage you to not only contribute today, but in all the days that follow, in helping to craft and act upon the plan as it takes place and continues to evolve over the next few years.

I know that we can come together to understand, plan, and take action that is needed to protect these walls and spaces, but more importantly, the people that pass through them.

  - Jennifer Crowley | UTA President