Sustainability has been a longstanding value of the college, most recently reinforced by its integration in the key priorities identified in the Strategic Plan. During the 2025-2026 academic year, Lafayette will undergo a planning process to update our Climate Action Plan (CAP) 2.0 with new strategies to reach our commitment to carbon neutrality by 2035. We look forward to deep and meaningful engagement with our campus community, as well as local partners and our alumni.
This year Lafayette will embark on the exciting process of creating CAP 3.0 and we want to invite YOU to be a part of it.
Participate in the planning process and progress towards the development of Climate Action Plan 3.0
Session Dates & Materials
Give us real time feedback on your thoughts for Climate Action Plan 3.0
Give Feedback NowA CAP is a strategic plan that outlines how an organization will reduce greenhouse gasses and adapt to the impacts of climate change.
With support from passionate students, faculty and staff, Lafayette has been advancing sustainability initiatives for decades. Since signing the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment in 2008, the College has calculated its annual emissions of greenhouse gasses along with the development of Climate Action Plan 1.0 in 2011, completed a campus-wide energy audit, established an Office of Sustainability in 2016, and in 2019, developed the Climate Action Plan 2.0 for reaching carbon neutrality by 2035. Lafayette releases a Campus Sustainability Report yearly, which tracks progress towards our climate, waste, academic and programmatic goals detailed in the Climate Action Plan.
Lafayette’s CAP 2.0 lays out the college commitments to achieve carbon neutrality by 2035 and divert 40% of waste away from landfill by 2030 and 60% by 2035. Our current greenhouse gas emissions have been reduced by 41% from the 2007 baseline and 24% of campus waste is being diverted from the landfill. You can read about current progress in the 2023-2024 Campus Sustainability Report. For more information and previous Sustainability Reports visit https://sustainability.lafayette.edu/about-us/commitments/
Lafayette is proud to have been the first college in the Lehigh Valley to set a climate commitment and continues to hold the most aggressive goal in the region. With the 5 year window since the development of CAP 2.0 coming to a close, it is time to thoroughly assess progress and opportunities for climate action and waste reduction on campus to meet our goals. In the College’s first CAP, we agreed to conduct an annual inventory of its greenhouse gas emissions and re-evaluate its CAP every five years. We are excited to celebrate the achievements to date that are a testament to hard work being accomplished across the college in interdisciplinary and cross-departmental efforts, and to find further diversified solutions to reduce campus emissions.
This year Lafayette will embark on the exciting process of creating CAP 3.0 and we want to invite YOU to be a part of it. Stay tuned for our first informational sessions coming up this fall and spring to learn about the process, timeline for CAP 3.0 development, and to help us sculpt a stakeholder engagement and feedback plan for the project. The plan will be sculpted with feedback from students, faculty, staff, alumni and the local community. Reach out to sustainability@lafayette.edu with any questions you may have or fill out the feedback form below.
The CAP is informed by both the Strategic and Campus Master Plans as the recommendations must align with college infrastructure, energy, culture, and community. The CAP may provide insight into how the Strategic and Campus Master Plans come to fruition in the context of our climate commitments. The CAP is a separate strategic framework that builds on and contributes to existing initiatives.
Lafayette College has engaged ERM Consulting to guide us through this process assessing current efforts and providing recommendations for CAP 3.0.
Climate leadership faces considerable challenges that require vision, leadership, resources and market conditions to lead to its success. We acknowledge that there is progress that we have not achieved and some areas where Lafayette has had considerable impact on the goals outlined in CAP 2.0.
Below are highlights of some notable achievements and we look to close the gaps where we have fallen short. Join us throughout this process to shape and create solutions towards our climate goals and commitments.
Visit the CAP 3.0 feedback page for live surveys that will be updated throughout the planning process.
Do you have general questions or comments about the Climate Action Plan and process? Email sustainability@lafayette.edu.
