Carbon Commitment Committee

As part of our commitment to achieve carbon neutrality on our Pittsburgh campus by 2037, the University of Pittsburgh’s Carbon Commitment Committee began meeting in April 2020.  A subcommittee of the Chancellor’s Advisory Council on Sustainability, the Carbon Commitment Committee’s goals are to:

  • Hone, design, and manage the University’s plan to achieve its carbon neutrality goal by 2037.
  • Develop a Pitt Climate Action Plan to achieve carbon neutrality and update it every 5 years.
  • Annually evaluate progress towards carbon neutral goal, submit progress evaluations, and sharing progress .
  • Develop inclusive and equitable operational, curricular, research, and community engagement strategies related to GHG emissions reduction & carbon neutrality.
  • Celebrate accomplishments and performance.
  • (Re)focus on existing and emerging areas of GHG emissions reduction opportunity.

Curious how we’re doing on achieving this goal? Read the Pitt Climate Action Plan and follow along on our Sustainability Dashboard.

Committee Members

  • CHAIR: Dr. Aurora Sharrard, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Sustainability
  • Dr. Joshua Ash, Director, Environmental Law & Policy Clinic; Clinical Assistant Professor, Law
  • Jennifer Barnes, Supplier Diversity & Sustainability Manager, Strategic Sourcing
  • Scott Bernotas, Vice Chancellor, Facilities Management
  • Dr. Melissa Bilec, Co-Director, Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation; Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering
  • Gina Bleck, Vice Chancellor, Planning, Design, & Construction
  • Federica Geremicca, PhD Candidate, Civil & Environmental Engineering
  • Dustin Gray, Deputy Athletic Director for Administration, Athletics
  • Dr. Michael Holland, Vice Chancellor for Science Policy and Research Strategies, Office the Senior Vice Chancellor for Research
  • Rebecca Roadman, Chief of Staff, Finance & Operations
  • Priya Vishnoi, Undergraduate Student, Chemistry & Math ’27

Past Committee Members

  • Dr. Max Harleman, Doctoral Graduate, School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA ‘21)
  • Dr. Katrina Kelly-Pitou, Former Assistant Research Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering
  • Christy Kim, Undergraduate Student, Environmental Science, ‘24
  • Mary Beth McGrew, Former Vice Chancellor, Planning, Design, & Real Estate
  • Annie Ryan, Undergraduate Student, Environmental Science, ‘23
  • Ellen Oordt, Undergraduate Student, Ecology and Evolution, ‘22