Princeton University’s new Sustainability Plan calls for the campus to reduce its carbon emissions to 1990 levels by 2020.
Under the plan, all new construction at Princeton will have to use half as much energy as is required under current building codes. The plan also aims to reduce campus car traffic by 10 percent by 2020.
“We feel that we have an obligation as an institution to create an environment where students, faculty and staff can see the institution trying out new technologies … or trying to change behavior,” said Mark Burstein, Princeton’s executive vice president.
Meeting the plan’s goals will require new incentives for biking and walking on campus, replacing standard university vehicles with low-emissions vehicles and testing environmentally friendly strategies such as green roofs.
“Implementing this plan will cost more than it will save,” Burstein said, noting a potential outlay of tens of millions of dollars. However, he added, he expects the university will recoup of its expenses via lower energy costs in the future.
Some of the plan’s costs are also likely to be covered by the High Meadows Foundation, which helps finance green initiatives.
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