June 14, 2007

ENVIRONMENT

Campuses Pledge Climate Neutrality

Effort to combat global warming aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions and accelerate research and education

Jyllian Kemsley

More than 280 U.S. colleges and universities have pledged to make their campuses climate neutral by reducing greenhouse gas emissions where possible and by investing in renewable energy and fuels, financing energy-efficient buildings, planting trees, increasing recycling, or otherwise offsetting their emissions.

Officials signing the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment are from Ivy League universities, liberal arts colleges, community colleges, and state universities, including all ten campuses of the University of California system. The commitment requires schools to complete an inventory of all greenhouse gas emissions—from electricity, heating, commuting, and air travel—within one year of signing. Within two years, the signatories must develop an action plan to become climate neutral, outlining specific goals, actions, and target dates. Schools also must integrate concepts of environmental sustainability into their curriculum.

Periodic reports on the schools' progress will be publicly available through the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.

Chemical & Engineering News

ISSN 0009-2347

Copyright © 2011 American Chemical Society