RMIT is bringing its carbon-neutral target forward by five years, after achieving the biggest on-site emissions reduction of any tertiary institution in Australia. Since 2007, RMIT University has reduced its carbon emissions by 74% through renewable energy, efficiency upgrades, and other initiatives to reduce and remove carbon from its operations.
Professor Alec Cameron, Vice-Chancellor and President of RMIT, said the University's new 2025 target and the practical steps it had taken to achieve significant carbon reductions demonstrated the University's long-standing commitment to sustainability.
"RMIT is responding to climate change with urgency by continuing to reduce our carbon emissions across all aspects of our operations globally in order to achieve carbon neutrality by 2025," Cameron said. "Our commitment extends beyond achieving carbon neutrality. In addition, we incorporate sustainability principles and practices into our learning and teaching, research, and operational activities in the communities we serve.”
"Climate change is one of the most pressing challenges of our time, and our staff and students stand with us as we take meaningful steps to make a positive impact on climate action." Some of the key initiatives that have assisted RMIT in reducing its carbon footprint include:
Creating world-first partnerships with Victorian wind farms, resulted in 44 of our largest buildings being supplied with carbon-neutral electricity and renewable energy accounting for 75 percent of our total grid electricity.
RMIT has numerous sustainable buildings, with both the New Academic Street and OurPlace projects receiving a 5-star Green Star rating classified as Australian Excellence by the Green Building Council of Australia.
Increasing energy efficiency and reducing consumption to save 30,000 tonnes of emissions per year --the most of any Australian university. Delivering a 55,000-tonne reduction in annual emissions, the equivalent of removing 12,000 cars from the road.
To reduce electricity consumption, RMIT's Saigon South Campus is upgrading its lighting to LED and adding enhanced controls and motion sensors.
Creating a set of Responsible Investment Principles that will lead to the development of two new external sustainability investment products, reducing RMIT's philanthropic fund's fossil fuel liability to zero. Dionne Higgins, Senior Vice-President of Strategy & Operations, stated that the University was leading the way for the sector in reducing on-site carbon emissions.
RMIT is a national and global sustainability leader, having been ranked third in the world in the 2021 Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, which assess universities' progress toward the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The University has won the most-Green Gown Awards of any institution in Australasia, with awards for facilities and services, institutional change, carbon reduction, and societal benefit. RMIT was recently awarded the 2021 Green Gown awards for Climate Action and Circular Economy. RMIT will also participate in the United Nations Race to Zero Universities and Colleges global initiative to achieve a zero-carbon world.
