CMU is Climate Smart certified

May 6, 2020

WINNIPEG—On Earth Day 2020 (April 22), Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) announced that it was now officially Climate Smart certified. This certification marks a significant milestone in CMU's effort to address its role in climate change, and sets the university on a path towards continuous improvement in the stewardship of the resources, people and planet entrusted to its care. Climate Smart certification is based on a quantified commitment to greenhouse gas emissions reduction, reflecting standardized measurements of sustainability discerned at a global scale. To become certified, CMU was required to identify and measure its overall greenhouse gas emissions footprint and, based on that data, develop an action plan with emission-reduction strategies in the areas of heating, transportation and electricity over the coming period. CMU's pursuit of this designation began in 2018, initiated first by James Magnus-Johnston of the CMU Centre for Resilience, and was brought to fruition this year by Julene Sawatzky, campus planning and facilities development manager. "Being Climate Smart certified means we understand and are tracking our greenhouse gas emissions from year to year, such that we can now actively work together with students, staff, faculty and the broader community to find inventive avenues toward being more responsible stewards of creation," Sawatzky says.

—Canadian Mennonite University

Photo: 

Julene Sawatzky poses with a sign affirming CMU is Climate Smart certified for 2020. (Photo courtesy of CMU)

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