There is no question we’re in a climate emergency, but we have the tools to combat it , and it will take every one of us. Alongside the University’s Climate Action Plan, your decisions at Pitt, at home, and globally make a difference, offering everyday opportunities to improve lives in Pittsburgh and beyond.
Most Americans are cautious, concerned, and alarmed about climate change, and know individual and collective actions must speed up and expand. Every person, action, purchase, and voice brings us closer to keeping climate change in check. Thank you for supporting our efforts at Pitt!
Commuting
The University of Pittsburgh estimates 68% of employees and 98% of students already make shared or active commutes, but 32% of employees still drive alone. With an average one-way commute of 10 miles, not every employee can take transit, bike, or walk.
What You Can Do: If you already choose shared or active mobility, thank you! If you commute alone, try a different option one day a week (or seasonally). Every Pitt community member’s daily decisions help us reach carbon neutrality.
- Don’t forget that our Pitt ID allows you to ride for free on Port Authority buses and the T. Being able to zone out during your commute is priceless, plus you might be able to get near door-to-door service! Learn more.
- Even driving to a Park & Ride where you park and then hop on a bus can likely halve your carbon emissions — and get you out of trying to park in Oakland.
- The University of Pittsburgh has been recognized as a Silver Bicycle Friendly University for our efforts to promote and enable safe, accessible bicycling on campus. Check out the Pitt Biking page for bike maps, storage solutions, safety tips, and more!
- Bike Share: DYK all Pitt students and employees get free, unlimited 30-minute rides on POGOH Pittsburgh’s bike sharing system? Learn more about POGOH at Pitt!
- Walking to campus is good for your body, mind, and the climate! Learn more
- Find out what the “5 surprising benefits of walking” are, including that people who walked at least 20 minutes a day, at least 5 days a week, had 43% fewer sick days than those who exercised once a week or less — and if they did get sick, their symptoms were milder and for less time.
- The Panther Walking Route encourages lunchtime walks around campus!
- WalkPittsburgh offers walking trails and maps of neighborhoods around Pittsburgh.
- If you feel safe on electric scooters and follow the rules, they can help reduce car and ride hailing trips.
- Quick Tips: Wear a helmet, go slow, stay off sidewalks, & respect pedestrians, bikes, & motor vehicles.
- Read everything you need to know about e-scooters (from BikePGH).
- If you see improper scooter riding, parking, or a damaged vehicle, report it using the Spin App.
If you must drive to campus, help reduce local and global air emissions by:
- Consider carpooling (2+ people) or vanpooling (5+ people); Pitt can help match you! Learn more.
- Calculating your commuting costs to drive alone. Knowing what driving is costing upfront can help your daily decision-making.
- Making sure your tires are properly inflated; this simple practice is proven to improve your fuel efficiency.
- Flexing your hours so you you can avoid idling in rush hour traffic; and/or
- Choosing a more efficient hybrid or electric car when you need a new one. The University has multiple electric vehicle charging stations on campus (with more coming soon) — and we’re working up to power all of them with purchased renewable electricity.
Other Campus Climate Actions
Activating Pitt’s Flex Work Arrangement opportunity can help support our journey towards carbon neutrality by avoiding your commute entirely when you work from home! The PittCAP estimates that flex work will help Pitt avoid 4,100 MT CO2e annually!
Pursuing a Pitt Green designation can demonstrate your active support for Pitt’s climate-friendly efforts. Pitt Green designations recognize your existing sustainable practices and can help you add more to your workflow or daily decisions. We have options for offices (on-campus and at home), labs, events, residents, and student organizations!
GHG emissions resulting from campus-wide purchasing habits are reflected in Scope 3 of our annual GHG inventory. If you make purchasing decisions for Pitt, you can help ensure our supply chain emissions are more climate -friendly purchases that reduce energy and life cycle impacts while supporting local and diverse purchasing. Space and equipment decisions are extra important. Need help? Check out Pitt Purchasing’s resources!
With hybrid and flexible work arrangements available to many University of Pittsburgh employees, some departments are optimizing their physical spaces by creating shared desks and work areas that are better sized for who is on-campus at the same time. The PittCAP estimates optimizing office space help contribute to a GHG reduction of 2,900 MT CO2e by 2037! You don’t have to reorganize your whole office to support this strategy; start small by sharing work spaces using Outlook.
Pitt air travel for conferences, study abroad, and other university-related travel accounts for 18% of our greenhouse gas emission in FY24. As a result, we’re asking everyone to look for opportunities to reduce and offset their air travel; please consider:
- Attending conferences and speaking engagements virtually when possible.
- Investigating train, bus, and carpooling options for closer destinations.
- Flying direct when you can. DYK the most emissions are generated during takeoff?!
- Purchase flights through Anthony Travel to help Pitt account for all air travel.
- Buying carbon offsets to cover your flights if your budgets allow.
You can’t do this via Anthony Travel quite yet, but we’re working on it. In the meantime, if you’re purchasing directly from the airline, some airlines allow you to purchase carbon offsets for your flight.
For Pitt-supported travel, carbon offsets can be submitted for reimbursement as an airline fee.
Learn more about air travel offsets and check out these airlines' offsets:
Printing less reduces waste, saves energy, and just makes sense. Since 2019, paper use on campus has dropped by 70%. While these changes were driven by the pandemic, these continued reductions show that the Pitt community has embraced the change. Find resources here to reduce your paper use at Pitt.
Pitt is committed to providing many plant forward dining options, which help reduce the carbon footprint of what’s on your plate! Try PittEats new plant forward and/or meat free items available across campus! Consider participating in Meatless Mondays, where you make plant-centric choices all day, both on- and off-campus! DYK on average, if you eat one meatless day per week for a whole year you can reduce your emissions by 156.5 pounds! We report on plant forward dining progress University-wide as part of our commitment to the Cool Food Pledge!
