The Virginia Tech Climate Action Commitment, which was approved in 2009 and reaffirmed in 2013, touches on all aspects of the university, including teaching, research, and campus operations and is intended to guide the university toward a greener, more sustainable future. Among the 14 goals in the plan, it commits the university to reaching a 50 percent recycling rate by 2020, improving energy efficiency where and whenever possible in campus buildings, achieving a minimum LEED rating of silver for all new construction, and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.