# Towards a Climate-Neutral Campus: Carbon Footprint Assessment in Higher Education Institutions
## 5 Discussion
### Strategies to Reduce TUCN's Carbon Footprint  
TUCN initiated a significant, multi-phase building renovation project in 2020, driven by its commitment to sustainability and the necessity to upgrade its facilities. The project targets a wide range of improvements across multiple campus buildings, including increased energy efficiency through insulation improvements, triple-glazed windows, HVAC system upgrades, heat pump and LED lighting installation, and a reduction in the university's overall environmental footprint. Moreover, TUCN installed a 50 kW photovoltaic (PV) system on one of its buildings in 2023 and has plans to expand this capacity in the future, with an undertaken feasibility study and EU grant request for an upgrade of 1048 kW [41; 42]. This renewable energy initiative aligns with the university's Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAP) and demonstrates its commitment to energy efficiency and environmental stewardship. By transitioning from a passive consumer of energy to an active prosumer [43], TUCN is taking a proactive approach to reducing its reliance on fossil fuels and mitigating climate change. The combined impact of these building renovations and the PV system significantly advances the campus toward a climate-neutral future. TUCN's commitment to sustainable development, as outlined in its SECAP, includes a bold target of an 80% carbon footprint reduction by 2030, using 2018 as the baseline year. To achieve this goal, the SECAP focuses on four key areas of action: education and research, energy, campus and community, and governance and partnerships [44]. TUCN aims to cultivate a green mindset within its community by integrating environmental awareness into its educational programs and stimulating multidisciplinary research that addresses various climate-related challenges. Ongoing educational projects, such as \"Empowering Energy Efficiency Awareness through a Holistic Educational Approach-ENERGEIA\" [45], and Erasmus+ KA220, like \"Support of higher education system in a context of climate change mitigation through regional-level of carbon footprint caused by a product, building and organization-Hi-Edu Carbon\" and \"An Innovative Circular Economy Training based on BIM and LCA technologies applied to the Construction Industry-BIM-LCA\" [46; 47], are focused on strengthening higher education's capacity to address climate change. To complement existing sustainability curricula, these initiatives focus on enriching educational experiences by including topics such as carbon footprint reduction, energy efficiency, the circular economy, and LCAs. Several research projects, like \"Renewable Energy-based Positive Homes-RENplusHOMES\", \"Positive Energy Districts Driven by Citizens-PERSIST\", and \"Educational Campuses as Drivers for Positive Energy District-EDUPED\" [48; 49; 50], extend beyond traditional research boundaries, with practical implementation in these case studiesin terms of energy efficiency, campus development, and community engagement, offering valuable insights and solutions to act against climate change. Complementarily, the university is committed to fostering a supportive environment for the entire community by aligning its services with sustainable development principles and empowering community engagement. By collaborating on initiatives and projects such as \"NetZeroCities-National Competence Center and Solutions for the Development of Climate-Neutral Smart Cities\" or \"Blueprint for Net-Zero Apartment-block Neighborhood\" [51; 52] the institution can strengthen partnerships and accelerate the transition to climate-neutral cities. As this study reveals, the most significant contributor to GHG emissions is Scope 1 emissions. Recognizing this, the SECAP has strategically prioritized investments in building stock to mitigate these emissions. However, implementing energy efficient projects requires substantial financial resources.