CARLISLE, Pa., Feb 9, 2007 - Dickinson College President William G. Durden, in a high-visibility pledge toward enhanced campus environmental sustainability, has signed the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment sponsored by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s (AASHE). The climate commitment seeks to address global warming by solidifying institutional commitments to reduce and ultimately neutralize greenhouse gas emissions on campuses across the country. As a Leadership Circle member of the climate commitment, Durden, along with 30 college and university presidents, are providing strategic direction and guidance for the program and encouraging their colleagues to sign the commitment.

The climate commitment recognizes the unique role of college and university presidents and chancellors in providing leadership and guidance in their institutions and to society. Presidents joining the climate commitment understand that taking a leadership position will improve their position in the competition for research funding and for attracting the best students, faculty and staff.

“Our goal is a college-wide initiative that will make environmental and sustainability concerns a defining characteristic of the college, parallel to Dickinson’s already established national preeminence as a leader in global education,” said Dickinson College President William G. Durden. ”The college has already achieved a significant level of national recognition in environmental studies, both for its academic and extracurricular programs– but it doesn’t stop there. Sustainability is integrated into the college and its operations at all levels.”

In signing the climate commitment, American colleges and universities agree to commit their institutions to certain actions in pursuit of climate neutrality. Those steps include: the development of a comprehensive plan to achieve climate neutrality as soon as possible; initiation of two or more tangible actions to reduce greenhouse gases while the more comprehensive plan is being developed; and making plans, inventories and progress reports publicly available through the AASHE.

Modeled after the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, the climate commitment is being coordinated and supported by AASHE, Second Nature and ecoAmerica. The initiative seeks the commitment of at least 200 presidents and chancellors by June 2007, and more than 1,000 by December 2009. To date, 53 college and university presidents and chancellors have either signed the commitment or letters of intent to sign the commitment by June.

Building on its already strong foundation, these are some examples of Dickinson’s efforts toward sustainability and climate neutrality:

• Long-standing and comprehensive Environmental Studies and Environmental Science majors. Collateral departments, such as Biology and Geology, have substantial programming related to issues of the environment and sustainability. There are many connections across the humanities and social sciences, including, for example, a new faculty hire in Environmental History.

• The Alliance for Aquatic Resource Monitoring (ALLARM) is an organization within the Environmental Studies Department at Dickinson College that employs Dickinson students and utilizes the resources of the college to assist and support Pennsylvania communities and individuals committed to protecting and restoring watersheds.

• Students Monitoring Aquatic Resources Together (SMART), ALLARM's youth outreach program, provides fun hands-on activities for students to increase their understanding of aquatic environments. Student ALLARM employees give in-class presentations concerning various water related environmental issues, ranging from watershed quality to preparing students for stream monitoring.

• The Luce Semester, through the Environmental Studies Department at Dickinson, is funded by the Henry Luce Foundation. The program combines classroom activities, community-based fieldwork research, independent study and extensive travel and immersion in two comparative watershed regions: the Chesapeake Bay and the lower Mississippi River Basin.

• Dickinson’s Center for Sustainable Living, commonly known as the "Treehouse," is a newly remodeled, ecologically designed, energy efficient and LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified building that utilizes greywater re-use, passive solar design, a biomass heating stove and computerized monitoring of utility and resource use.

• Dickinson maintains a well-equipped field laboratory at the Florence Jones Reineman Wildlife Sanctuary, seven miles north of campus. Students use the Sanctuary Field Lab as their base of operations for field studies of the extensive deciduous forest and watershed system.

• Open Sky Farm, a one-acre, college-operated garden, offers outreach events and works to educate the campus and Carlisle community about local food systems and sustainable agriculture. In October 2006, the college received approval for the expansion of the garden by turning 50 acres of a Dickinson-owned farm into an organic farm. The transformed facility will simultaneously provide organic produce for dining services at the college and offer academic experiences for students, including course work on sustainable agriculture and internships.

• The University of East Anglia, site of Dickinson's program in Norwich, England, is a world leader in environmental science and management. The University of Queensland, Dickinson's Australian site, also has extensive environmental course offerings, while the college's program in Costa Rica specializes in sustainable agriculture and tropical ecology. In addition, environmental science/studies majors have recently studied in Bermuda, Cameroon, Kenya, Baja Mexico, India, Israel, Madagascar and New Zealand.

• Dickinson’s new science complex, under construction, will meet LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) “silver” certification standards.

• Aggressive college-wide sustainability efforts include an all-campus “energy challenge” that in 2005-06 led to a 15 percent reduction in electrical consumption; construction of a $5.7 million new central energy plant (near completion); purchase of 12.5 percent wind power from Community Energy, Inc.; operation of a centralized heating and chilling plant; and a commitment to strive for LEED certification for all new buildings.

• A $250,000 Energy Harvest Grant from the Commonwealth’s Department of Environmental Protection will provide the college with funds for solar panels that are expected to reduce energy costs by more than $125,000 over the next decade.

• Dickinson’s dining services initiatives include; a compost program; purchase of some local and organic food and is dedicated to significantly increasing organic purchases over the next five years; buys only certified fair-trade, organic, and shade grown coffee; uses packaging and cups made of biodegradable, corn-based material; offers reusable grab-and-go lunch bags for students; and serves organic food in The Underground, a student eating establishment.

• Transportation and fuel initiatives include the use of two hybrid cars in the college’s fleet; development of in-house biodiesel production and trial use in garbage truck and lawnmowers; and availability of a dozen free red bicycles for borrowing through “Dickinson Rides” program.

• Including more members of campus in the sustainability effort through the creation of the “Sustainability Sheriff” program for staff and administrators and the “Recycling Task Force” program for students; annual participation in RecycleMania, a national contest pitting over 90 schools against each other in a fight to see which school can recycle the most materials per person; the “Caught Green Handed” competition to reward students who are seen doing something positive for the environment; and a Sustainability Sculpture Contest for artistically-inclined students to showcase their ability to create art with recyclable materials.

• Creation of a new position, Campus Sustainability Specialist, to work with four sustainability interns, facilities management staff and administrators and members.

• Dickinson SAVES (Society Advocating Environmental Sustainability), a group of students, faculty, staff and administrators from across the campus, and two other student environmental groups, Earth Now and Students for Social Action, are committed to sustainability and environmental issues.

• Alumni for a Sustainable Dickinson (AFSD) is an independent group of Dickinson College Alumni formed to encourage a sustainable future for the institution. The group works directly with on-campus efforts and consults with the college about on-campus sustainability. More than 200 alumni are members of AFSD.