Carnegie Mellon University

University Commitments

Leading the way. Setting the Standard.

Carnegie Mellon is committed to environmental research and education and we are equally committed to adopting sustainable practices that will reduce the operational footprint of our campuses. The following highlight our commitment to campus sustainability:

Climate Commitment

Carnegie Mellon's president has made a formal commitment of climate leadership on CMU's campus by signing a Presidents’ Climate Leadership Commitment. Learn more about CMU's climate commitment and actions toward carbon neutrality. 

Race to Zero

Powered by the UN Environment Programme, EAUC, and Second Nature, the Race to Zero is a global campaign to rally leadership and action in the education sector. Signatories, including Carnegie Mellon, pledge to reach (net) zero GHGs as soon as possible, and by mid-century at the latest, in line with global efforts to limit warming to 1.5C. 

Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System™ (STARS)

To measure progress in the environmental, social, and economic aspects of sustainability, Carnegie Mellon participates in the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System™ (STARS) program. STARS is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance. CMU has completed five reports, most recently earning a Gold rating

Pittsburgh 2030 District

Carnegie Mellon is a founding partner of the Pittsburgh 2030 District's expansion to Oakland. This internationally recognized, locally driven strategic initiative of the Green Building Alliance (GBA)  supports building owners and managers as they strive toward 50% reductions in energy use, water consumption, and transportation emissions by 2030while improving indoor air quality

ISCN-GULF Charter

In public confirmation of our commitments, CMU signed on to the ISCN-GULF Charter and pledged to incorporate the Charter principles of sustainability.

American Campuses Act on Climate Pledge

Carnegie Mellon, in 2015, joined 218 campuses representing over 3.3 million students across the country committed to take action on climate by signing the American Campuses Act on Climate Pledge:

“As institutions of higher education, we applaud the progress already made to promote clean energy and climate action as we seek a comprehensive, ambitious agreement at the upcoming United Nations Climate Negotiations in Paris. We recognize the urgent need to act now to avoid irreversible costs to our global community’s economic prosperity and public health and are optimistic that world leaders will reach an agreement to secure a transition to a low carbon future. Today our school pledges to accelerate the transition to low-carbon energy while enhancing sustainable and resilient practices across our campus.”   

In 2016, CMU issued a statement on recent climate actions the university took to support its pledge.