University Business - June 2010 - (Page 55)

the Commitment By Caryn Fliegler ichard cook spends much of his time listening to college and university presidents ask questions about sustainability. can we afford this? What if my trustees balk? is global climate change exaggerated? is carbon neutrality even possible? cook responds with patience and knowledge about the impact of harmful greenhouse gases, about clean energy, and about why it makes fiscal sense to go green. “i liken it to the moonshot,” says the former president of Allegheny College (pa.). “When you have lofty goals and you mean it, and you put great talent and resources toward it, you make great progress.” cook is an education for sustainability fellow for second nature, the Boston nonprofit that acts as the leading support organization for the american college and university presidents’ climate commitment, the largest movement in american society to minimize greenhouse gas emissions and achieve climate neutrality. his job is, in part, to support current participants in the presidents’ climate commitment and encourage others to sign. Given that the recession began just months after the commitment launched in 2007, it would not be surprising if fewer institutions signed on or current participants stepped back. But that’s not the case—the goal of going green (or getting greener) is surviving and thriving on campus. as of this spring, 677 schools, representing nearly 6 million students and about a third of the higher education student population in the united states, signed the commitment. “We were hoping by the end of 2010 to reach about 40 percent of the student population, and we’re right on track to meet that,” says anthony cortese, co-director of the presidents’ climate commitment and president of second nature. to sign on, institutions agree to: • conduct at least one campus greenhouse gas inventory • create a comprehensive Climate Action Plan • implement at least two of seven shorter-term actions for reducing their carbon footprint. all of the documents are posted online. “We’re accountable to each other,” says James Buizer, science policy advisor to Arizona State University president michael crow, a charter signatory. “the teeth is deadlines, and we’re being quite open and transparent on the web. Where it’s flexible is that each university can decide what their target date [for reaching climate neutrality] is.” fulfillment of the commitment’s reporting requirements provides a lens for assessing its success. of the 388 institutions that signed on in 2007, the inaugural year, about 89 percent have conducted and submitted greenhouse R Even in difficult economic times, the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment continues to make its green mark. universitybusiness.com June 2010 | 55 http://universitybusiness.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of University Business - June 2010

University Business - June 2010
Contents
Editor's Note
College Index
Company Index
Advisory Board
Behind the News
Sense of Place
Financial Aid
Internet Technology
2010 Higher Education Guide to Audio/Visual Services
Green 2010
Viewpoint
The Quest for Internationals
What's New
End Note

University Business - June 2010