Following the creation of the Office of Sustainability in 2009, Wake Forest University began tracking greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) in 2010. The university identified fiscal year 2007 (FY07) as the baseline year against which all future reductions would be measured. A collaborative effort to outline a three-phase path to neutrality was developed immediately thereafter: Phase I) maximize opportunities for energy reduction; Phase II) transition to low-carbon and renewable energy sources; and Phase III) offset of any remaining GHGs.
A 2012 campus Sustainability Strategic Plan1 laid the foundation for the work that would be needed in Phases I and II: LEED construction standards, a commitment to adaptive reuse in the built environment, the implementation of smart building technologies, behavior change campaign expectations, and the exploration of opportunities for on-site renewable energy. Wake Forest’s Facilities & Campus Services team took the lead in pursuing Phase I opportunities, including efficiency standards for new buildings, assessment and implementation of building renewal, systems optimization, and occupant behavior initiatives to reduce the university’s GHG emissions footprint.
In 2016, the university evaluated opportunities for third-party managed energy efficiency programs with promises of shared savings, and chose instead to further develop in-house energy efficiency expertise in order to retain 100% of the savings for reinvestment into ongoing efficiency upgrades. The Building Performance Improvement Initiative (BPI2) was launched as part of this commitment. Within a year, emissions reductions from operations decreased 19 percent compared to the university’s FY07 baseline.
In 2017, Wake Forest joined over 400 institutions of higher education, 2,000 businesses, and nearly 300 cities in signing the “We Are Still In” declaration following the US presidential administration’s decision to formally withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement. The 2015 Agreement, which holds signatories accountable to limiting global warming to 1.5C (2.7F) above pre-industrial levels by 2030, signaled a new wave of global commitment to reduce dependency on heat-trapping fossil fuels and to draw down GHGs. Wake Forest’s signature of the “We Are Still In” declaration affirmed the university’s commitment to the Paris Agreement and to climate action, underscoring the work already underway on campus.
In 2018, the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a special report that outlined updated expected impacts of global average temperature increases of 1.5C and 2.0C. The report spurred a wave of support for near-term climate solutions and a call to action on the global stage. In September 2019, students led the charge on Wake Forest’s campus, joining in the global climate strike that mobilized young people in over 150 countries to march for climate action.
From 2018 through 2019, Wake Forest explored Duke Energy’s Green Source Advantage Program2, the outcome of 2017 NC House Bill 5893, for possible renewable energy procurement possibilities. WFU partnered with Davidson College and Elon University to lobby for access to the program; the complexities of the program and unfavorable pricing resulted in enrollment by just one North Carolina institution of higher education. The group of three schools – Wake Forest, Davidson, and Elon – stayed in discussion about ways to exercise collective purchasing power to arrive at a different large-scale renewable energy solution.
In 2019, the university’s electricity provider, Duke Energy, committed to decarbonization4 and began steadily decreasing fossil fuels in its generation mix. The utility provider announced its goal to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and to cut its emissions by half or more from 2005 levels by 2030.
In 2020, following a year-long collaborative process led by a steering committee of university faculty and administrators, the university released a new ambitious set of goals to achieve climate neutrality and increase opportunities for education for sustainability across the disciplines. During planning exercises with faculty, staff, and student stakeholders, the call for a comprehensive plan to accelerate climate neutrality was reiterated. In exploring the feasibility of a 2050 neutrality target, Wake Forest research faculty opined that 2050 would be far too late. Accordingly, Wake Forest’s deadline to achieve climate neutrality was moved up to a more ambitious 2040.
The university set an interim goal of 50% reduction by 2030, in keeping with the Paris Climate Agreement. With continued leadership and investment by the Facilities & Campus Services teams, Wake Forest’s energy use intensity (EUI) per square foot continued to decline year over year5. The university’s GHG emissions had decreased 42% between FY07 and FY20, in alignment with this interim goal.
In August 2023, the university released the strategic framework, Framing Our Future. In it, Wake Forest is called to be a catalyst for good in society and to “Strengthen existing and build new signature areas of excellence in research, scholarship and creative work that cross academic and institutional boundaries to address issues of importance to humanity with broad societal impact.” The university carries forward these climate action commitments in alignment with the framework and the strategic aims therein.
On Earth Day 2024, Wake Forest announced6 a bold commitment to 100% renewable energy through a Virtual Power Purchase Agreement (VPPA) that will bring a large-scale solar farm onto the grid in 2026. Once operational, the project is estimated to bring the university approximately 75% of the way, at least, to total climate neutrality in operations.