Sustainability & Climate Action Plan

Where We Are Now

As of December 2025, the Office of Sustainability is working with senior leadership to realign aspects of the Sustainability and Climate Action Plan with current institutional priorities, financial conditions, and governance structures. This work follows an intentional pause in the Action Plan process in Spring 2024, prompted by the university’s financial challenges and accompanying leadership transitions.

During the previous pause, the Office of Sustainability focused on reassessing assumptions, sequencing, and implementation pathways to better reflect the university’s present realities while preserving the plan’s long-term vision. Ongoing conversations with new and existing leaders are helping clarify near term opportunities, refine expectations, and strengthen alignment between the Action Plan, our new strategic imperatives, and other guiding frameworks.

This realignment phase positions the Action Plan to move forward with greater clarity, feasibility, and institutional support. Updates will continue as this work progresses and as priorities are confirmed.

We welcome input on the Action Plan and are happy to share updates. Please contact us at sustainability@arizona.edu. 

About the Action Plan

Building on the university’s 2018 Strategic Plan commitment to achieve climate neutrality by 2040, the Sustainability and Climate Action Plan seeks to establish a comprehensive, solutions-focused roadmap that responds to the urgency of the climate crisis while advancing the university’s mission as Arizona’s land grant institution.

The Office of Sustainability initiated early groundwork, partnering with Brailsford and Dunlavey in 2021 through a pro bono engagement to explore high-level pathways toward climate neutrality. That early work demonstrated both the scale of opportunity and the need for a deeper, more implementable approach. The university subsequently expanded the scope of the effort through a competitive national process, selecting Brailsford and Dunlavey to support a multi-year, campus-wide planning initiative.

Beginning in late 2022, the university undertook a rigorous data gathering and engagement process focused primarily on the Tucson main campus, which represents over 13 million square feet of university-owned space. Over a two-year period, more than 240 faculty, staff, and students contributed directly through working groups, technical teams, an Advisory Team, and a Core Team, with more than 3,500 members of the campus and Tucson communities engaged through surveys, workshops, tabling events, and open forums.

The current draft of the Sustainability and Climate Action Plan establishes 10 Sustainability Commitments supported by nearly 70 actionable initiatives that address decarbonization, water, waste, transportation, energy efficiency, sustainable sourcing, sustainability literacy, responsible investments, courses, and sustainability-related research funding. The plan emphasizes emissions reductions as the primary strategy for achieving climate neutrality by 2040, supported by adaptation and resilience-centered actions that strengthen the university and surrounding communities.

The Action Plan is intended to guide decision-making, investment, and collaboration as the university transitions from planning to implementation. Engagement remains central to this work, and the Office of Sustainability will continue to share progress, track outcomes, and invite participation as initiatives advance.

Connecting the Action Plan

The Sustainability and Climate Action Plan will advance the university’s strategic imperatives by embedding sustainability, resilience, and climate action into core institutional decision-making across academics, operations, research, and engagement. It will strengthen student success and workforce preparedness through sustainability literacy and applied learning, while advancing interdisciplinary, climate-engaged research that addresses challenges facing Arizona and the broader region. Through focused initiatives on water security, extreme heat, and community resilience, the plan will expand the university’s impact and partnerships.

The Action Plan will guide long-term planning, infrastructure investment, and resource management to support institutional resilience and financial stability. It will also establish a framework for accountability and continuous improvement by aligning with the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (AASHE STARS) framework.

Together, these functions position the Sustainability and Climate Action Plan as both a practical roadmap and a strategic integrator, linking climate action to academic excellence, operational stewardship, and the university’s responsibility to serve Arizona and beyond.