Slippery Rock University MSCHE 2011 Self-Study
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Appendix F: American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment Home > SRU News > 2009 News Releases > November 2009 > SRU president signs American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment
IMMEDIATE RELEASE Nov. 12, 2009 CONTACT: K.E. Schwab 724.738.2199
SRU president signs American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment; outlines SRU efforts in greening, sustainability SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – Robert Smith, president of Slippery Rock University and a longtime proponent of environmental sustainability, today signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment saying, “Slippery Rock University is committed to helping lead the region in reducing global emissions of greenhouse gases, starting with our own campus.” “Slippery Rock University has long been a leader in modeling sustainability issues. Joining with presidents of other American colleges and universities is a natural step as we accept the challenge to become even more sustainable,” Smith said. Launched in 2007, the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment is a network of signatory schools, representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia. More than 660 institutions have signed the ACUPCC. This high-visibility effort to address global warming garners institutional commitments to neutralize greenhouse gas emissions and accelerate the research and educational efforts of higher education in an effort to equip society to re-stabilize the earth’s climate. The ACUPCC is led by a steering committee comprised of more than 20 university and college presidents. The lead supporting organization of the initiative is the national nonprofit Second Nature, based in Boston, with additional key support provided by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education “We are proud of our decades-long greening efforts which have already proven successful. We are proud of the graduates of our master’s in sustainable systems program and their work in the region and across the U.S. in expanding and creating new sustainability solutions, including building support for buying locally grown produce and promoting organically grown foods, while simultaneously reducing carbon footprints. We also realize there is much more to accomplish,” Smith said. “By becoming a party to the President’s Climate Commitment, I am signifying that Slippery Rock University will expand even further its greening and sustainability efforts. We have a 600-plus acre campus with more than 8,600 students supported by more than 1,000 faculty and staff. We must find ways to help reduce the impact the University has on the environment. To that end, we will continue to explore and implement opportunities to reduce greenhouse gasses, reduce and recycle waste and improve efficiencies that lead to a reduction in the University’s overall environmental impact,” he said. The University is currently developing its Strategic Plan that will set the institution’s course and mission through the year 2025. “Our new Strategic Plan will incorporate steps that allow SRU to continue its leadership role in both sustainability and greening and will bring new projects to campus that help ensure our graduates have the skills, experience and leadership qualities necessary to continue to identify and solve issues related to the environment,” Smith said. Smith was joined at the signing ceremony in Old Main by a number of students and faculty supporting the University’s greening efforts. “Our students have clearly been at the forefront of our greening programs, and we thank them for their leadership,” Smith said. He cited The Green Fund, a student-initiated program that seeks project ideas and steers funds to green and sustainable programs on campus and in the community as one example of where students were the driving force. This year’s projects included funding for trash/recycling containers, electricity usage monitors, support for the Student Government Association bus project allowing greater efficiency in routing and fuel consumption, renovations to Harmony House at the Robert A. Macoskey Center for Sustainability Education and Research, and purchase of a recycling bailer, as well as other projects. “Our students have stepped forward to create the Green Bike Initiative, which allows students to share bicycles and helps reduce the number of cars on campus, and our students have attended numerous workshops and programs, including the annual PowerShift Conference, that promote environmental issues and understanding. It is clear SRU students understand that greening and sustainability are issues important today and in the future, and I am particularly proud of their work and their research,” Smith said. In addition to student and faculty initiatives, Smith pointed to SRU’ academic programs in environmental studies programs, including geology, geography and the environment, and the University’s programs in environmental education programs offered
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