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Wednesday, February 23, 2022 at 07:15

The URJC registers its carbon footprint and obtains the Calculo y Reduce seal

The Ministry for the Ecological Transition grants the organization these recognitions thanks to the fulfillment of its commitments to reduce direct and indirect emissions.

Albert Rose

The Rey Juan Carlos University continues to strengthen its commitment and effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions generated by its activity. This is reflected in the registration of its carbon footprint in the Registry of Carbon Footprint, Compensation and Absorption Projects of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge.

This registry grants organizations three seals: one for calculating the carbon footprint generated by their activity (Calculation); another that rewards reduction commitments (I reduce); and a third party that recognizes the start-up of projects that facilitate the possibility of offsetting all or part of its carbon footprint (Offset).

The URJC has received for the years 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 the certificate that recognizes the calculation of its impact by the direct and indirect emissions of its activity. For the year 2020, the university has again obtained the Calculo seal and for the first time the Reduzco seal, which implies compliance with its commitments to reduce emissions.

The URJC Green Office is the area in charge of managing and calculating the carbon footprint of the university to obtain the seal. Its manager, Consuelo Iriarte, explains the procedure they have followed: “It is a voluntary registration. As an organization, we calculated the scope 1 and 2 emissions, direct and indirect, of our activity due to the consumption of fossil fuels, heating, electricity consumption, etc.

Iriarte claims "the achievement" of the entire university community for obtaining this seal: "The results of the reduction in emissions in four consecutive years are due to measures applied such as sustainable public purchasing and the reduction of consumption," he maintains. Measures in which they work from the Energy Efficiency Unit and the Infrastructure Vice-Management.

The Ministry for the Ecological Transition accepted the calculations and, observing the reduction in the impact of emissions for the fourth consecutive year since 2017, also granted the I Reduce seal.  

2030, the horizon year to end emissions of these scopes

As Consuelo Iriarte explains, 2030 is the horizon year set by the university to reduce scope 1 and 2 emissions to zero. It is a commitment that the university made in 2019, when it supported the Manifesto of Global Universities and Colleges for the Climate.