College Campuses Become Climate Neutral Learning-Laboratories

Georges Dyer, Senior Fellow, Second Nature, and Michelle Dyer, Vice President, Second Nature.

 “We may only have 3% of the carbon footprint, but we have 100% of the education footprint.”  These are the words of Michael Crow, Presidents of Arizona State University and co-chair of the steering committee of the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC).  Over 650 schools, which educate more than 5.5 million students, have made a pledge to integrate sustainability into the educational experience of all students, and eliminate net greenhouse gas emissions from campus operations.

On September 15th, nearly 100 of the participating institutions submitted plans detailing how they intend to achieve the goals of the ACUPCC. To review any of the hundreds of greenhouse gas inventories and climate action plans publicly reported by ACUPCC institutions, visit the ACUPCC Online Reporting System for examples of campuses investing $70 million in comprehensive energy efficiency retrofits, installing solar arrays over all buildings and parking lots, and launching a School of Sustainability (Arizona State University), reducing energy demand 50% and generating 20% of their energy onsite from renewable sources (Portland Community College), and developing mid-western wind power (University of Minnesota, Morris).

The ACUPCC network held its annual Climate Leadership Summit in college Chicago in August, where presidents and other senior leaders heard from Former President Bill Clinton about the urgent need to ramp up efforts on energy efficiency in our building stock.   Other speakers included Janine Benyus of the Biomimcry Institute, Peter Senge of the Society for Organizational Learning, and Rick Fedrizzi, President of the US Green Building Council.

The ACUPCC is supported by Second Nature, a non-profit based in Boston that works with colleges and universities to promote education for sustainability.  Second Nature has strong ties to The Natural Step, as its Founder and President, Tony Cortese, helped bring TNS to the US.  Three staff members - Michelle Dyer, Georges Dyer, and Stephen Muzzy - are graduates of the Master’s in Strategic Leadership towards Sustainability Program, a close TNS partner, and Barbara Koneval, a former staffer for the TNS Oregon Network runs their education and training programs.

To stay updated on the progress of the ACUPCC, sign-up for its free monthly newsletter and follow ACUPCC on Twitter.