From Plans to Progress: Reflections on Climate Action in Higher Education

We don’t need more climate action plans. We need more climate action. 

That’s not to dismiss the value of planning, far from it. However, as I moderated a recent panel with four campus sustainability leaders, what struck me most was the shared urgency to move beyond frameworks and roadmaps and into the complex work of implementation.

Five Insights from Climate Action Efforts in Higher Ed

Our conversation — part of our Adaptations in Higher Education series — wasn’t about showcasing perfect solutions. It was about grappling with the realities of driving change in institutions that are historically known to be slow to change. And yet, each panelist brought forward stories of progress, creativity and resilience that left me both grounded and inspired.

Meet Our Panelists

• Dave Cano, MEB, M.E.Sc., CEM, PMP, CMVP, LEED® Green Associate, Director, Sustainability, McMaster University
• Carrie Metzgar, Campus Sustainability Officer, University of California, San Diego
• Laura Young, Sustainability Manager, Michigan State University
• Jeff Miller, Director, Facilities Management and Capital Projects, University of Toronto Scarborough

1. The Hardest Part Is Not Technology

Dave Cano from McMaster University said something that’s stuck with me: “The technical part of it is the easy part.” And he’s right. The tools to decarbonize campuses exist. What’s harder is aligning thousands of people around a shared understanding of what decarbonization means and why it matters.

That cultural work is often invisible, but it’s foundational. Carrie Metzgar at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) described how her team is working to make climate action feel personal and participatory. “It’s been heartwarming to see genuine curiosity and care,” she said. “We want people to feel like they have a role in this.”

At Michigan State University (MSU), Laura Young is helping build that foundation from the ground up. “We don’t have a climate action plan yet,” she shared. “But we’re asking the right questions: What does a sustainable campus look like for the next 50 years? What do we need to rethink?”

These aren’t just operational questions; they’re cultural ones. And they require a shift in how institutions think, communicate and lead.

2. Implementation Is a Design Challenge

One of the most powerful insights from the panel was that implementation isn’t just a policy issue; it’s a design challenge. It’s about reimagining systems, spaces and behaviors in ways that align with our climate goals.

Jeff Miller from the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC) emphasized the importance of integrated thinking. “We used to do things incrementally — one LEED building here, a geothermal system there. But now, we have clear goals and a shared language. We’re integrating everything from new construction to utility systems.”

Designers play a critical role in this shift. Whether it’s rethinking building typologies, embedding flexibility into master plans or addressing embodied carbon, the design community must be at the table, not just to execute, but to help lead.

Young shared a compelling example: MSU’s transformation of an old power plant into a STEM teaching facility, complete with mass timber construction and real-time energy data displays. “It’s a space that tells a story,” she said. “And it’s a model for how we can creatively reuse what we already have.”

Cano added that McMaster is developing sustainable design standards that maintain all new construction is net-zero carbon ready. The real challenge lies in retrofitting existing buildings, many of which are aging, complex and historically significant. “We have to enhance the performance of our central plant while reducing energy demand across campus,” he said. “It’s not easy, but it’s necessary.”

3. Collaboration Is the New Currency

If there was one phrase that captured the spirit of the conversation, it was something Metzgar shared — an idea she heard years ago that still resonates: “Sustainability is the mother of collaboration.” Every panelist spoke to the power of interdisciplinary partnerships between operations and academics, between universities and local governments and between students and administrators.

Cano described how McMaster evolved its carbon roadmap by bringing in faculty researchers and student voices. “We stopped thinking just about technologies and started thinking about culture and change management,” he said.

Metzgar highlighted UCSD’s Deep Decarbonization Initiative and Center for Energy Research, where engineers, planners and students work together to turn ideas into action. “I couldn’t do what I do without them,” she said. “They bring the technical expertise, and I help translate that into long-term strategy and communication.”

Miller shared how informal relationships with faculty grew into formal structures, from presidential committees to new institutes within their tri-campus network for sharing ideas. “The conversation is more exciting than it’s ever been,” he said. “We’re telling our community’s story through the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and thinking broadly about our impact.”

4. Resilience Is the New Baseline

As climate risks intensify, resilience is no longer optional; it’s a baseline requirement. Metzgar, who wrote her master’s thesis on climate resilience, emphasized the importance of lived experience. “Sometimes it’s the severity of extreme events that brings climate resilience into sharper focus for our campuses,” she said. “But they also help us design more resilient facilities.”

At UCSD, a recent vulnerability assessment is helping guide decisions about infrastructure and policy. And as climate data shifts, so too must design assumptions. “Our dorms were built without air conditioning because historically, our hottest months were in early summer,” Metzgar explained. “Now, it’s hottest in September and October. We have to adapt.”

Young echoed this need for flexibility, especially in the face of deferred maintenance and rapid growth. “We’re having hard conversations about strategic investment,” she said. “Are there buildings we need to stop using? Can we use space more efficiently?”

Miller added that embodied carbon is a key consideration in UTSC’s master planning efforts. “We’re looking at everything from stormwater to material use,” he said. “It’s all part of the climate conversation now.”

5. Hope Is a Strategy

We ended the session by asking each panelist to share a lesson learned. What I heard wasn’t just technical insight, it was emotional intelligence.

“People want to be part of the change,” Cano said. “They want to understand the process.”

“We need to move beyond individual champions,” Young added. “Sustainability has to be baked into how we make decisions.”

And Metzgar reminded us of the emotional stakes: “Find the opportunities for hope in the midst of what seems challenging. Tap into your campus communities for that.” 

That’s what I’m holding onto. Not just the strategies or the metrics, but the mindset. The belief that progress is possible, even when it feels slow. That culture can shift. That design can lead. And that higher education, with all its complexity, can be a powerful force for climate leadership.

At HDR, we’re proud to walk alongside our higher education partners in this work, not just as consultants, but as collaborators. Because the future we’re designing for isn’t theoretical, it’s already here. And it’s ours to shape.