About

Sustainability at UM

The Office of Sustainability at the University of Montana champions and advances our institutional goals of social equity, environmental health, and economic prosperity. Working with partners across campus, we aim to improve our students’ literacy of sustainability issues and proactively develop policies and initiatives that bring us closer to our sustainability goals. 

On Earth Day 2002, former UM President George Dennison signed the Talloires Declaration, explicitly dedicating UM to promoting sustainable development, self determination and social justice on local, state, national and global levels. President Dennison appointed a Sustainable Campus Committee (SCC) to guide and document UM's efforts in meeting the goals of the Talloires Declaration. In 2007, President George Dennison signed the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), committing UM to carbon neutrality (net zero carbon emissions), a key part of making UM a model for sustainability. UM was one of the 100 charter signatories to the ACUPCC.

UM achieved several milestones in 2008. We released our first-ever Greenhouse Gas Inventory and hired a full time Sustainability Coordinator and Recycling Coordinator, creating an Office of Sustainability at the University of Montana.

In 2010, UM completed a Climate Action Plan, establishing our goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2020 and an interim goal of reducing carbon emissions 10% below 2007 by 2015 (successfully met). "Sustainability," along with diversity, engagement, and leadership, is one of the University's Core Values as outlined in the 2020 Strategic Plan, further indicating our institutional commitment to social, environmental, and economic resilience.