Institutional Mission & Administration

A clearly articulated institutional vision for abiding by a land ethic, being active environmental stewards, and for the encouragement of leaders who will work towards more sustainable living is part of establishing a sustainable campus.  Administration should support an on-going mission to uphold these ideals by committing to local, national, or international agreements, hiring a sustainability coordinator, supporting the formation of a Sustainability Task Force, and developing a website which “serves as a resource for community involvement and education on sustainability” (Sustainable Endowment Institute 6). 

Two agreements provide the opportunity for college/university Presidents to join in a nation-wide campus sustainability effort - (1) the Talloires Declaration and (2) the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment.

The internationally recognized 1990 Talloires Declaration is the first official statement of commitment to environmental sustainability prepared by university administrators. There are ten components to the action plan for “incorporating sustainability and environmental literacy in teaching, research, operations and outreach at colleges and universities”. It has been signed by over 300 university presidents, 3 of which are located in Pennsylvania, including Muhlenberg College.

The American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment is an agreement created by Arizona State University President Michael crow and Second Nature president Anthony Cortese, modeled after a similar pact made by mayors across the country. College and university presidents sign-on to the pact agreeing to cut their institutions' carbon emissions to zero over time.  The agreement allows for each institution to set its own agenda for reaching campus-wide "carbon neutrality" (the point at which its carbon-dioxide emissions are offset by the use of renewable sources of energy and the oxygen released from trees and other plants on the campus).  Currently 347 (as of August 2007)  U.S. colleges/universities have signed the agreement, 22 of which are located in Pennsylvania.

Presidents who sign the Commitment are pledging to eliminate their campuses’ greenhouse gas emissions over time. This involves:

• Completing an emissions inventory
• Within two years, setting a target date and interim milestones for becoming climate neutral.
• Taking immediate steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by choosing from a list of short-term actions.
• Integrating sustainability into the curriculum and making it part of the educational experience.
• Making the action plan, inventory and progress reports publicly available.

References:

"About American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment.”  American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment.  2007.  2 March 2007 

          “Programs {Talloires Declaration}.”  Association of University Leaders for a Sustainable Future .  2001 . 3 March 2007 http://www.ulsf.org/programs_talloires.html.

          Sustainable Endowment Institute. “College Sustainability Report Card:  A Review of Campus & Endowment Policies at Leadein Instititutions 2007”.   3 April 2007

          http://www.endowmentinstitute.org/sustainability/CollegeSustainabilityReportCard.pdf.

"Stellar" campus example:

 University of California

Campus Sustainability Committee Contacts:

Office of Administration

Mrak 436 University of California, Davis

One Shields Avenue

Davis, CA 95616

(530) 752-2599

Office of Administration; Committee Chair

Operations and Maintenance (Utilities); Chair, Energy and Atmosphere Subcommittee

Architects & Engineers; Chair, Green Buildings Subcommittee

Purchasing; Co-chair, Materiel Management Subcommittee

Materiel Management; Co-chair, Materiel Management Subcommittee

John Muir Institute of the Environment; Chair, Education and Outreach Subcommittee

Office of Resource Management and Planning; Chair, Campus and Transportation Subcommittee