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Higdon signs Presidents Climate Commitment

Connecticut College has long been a leader in campus environmental stewardship.

February 26, 2007

President Leo I. Higdon, Jr. has pledged that the College will make plans to achieve carbon neutrality and will reduce emissions of greenhouse gases generated by the campus.

Higdon recently signed the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment, sponsored by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), which seeks to address global warming by solidifying institutional commitments to reduce and ultimately

Higdon´s commitment places him as a charter signatory of the initiative, which hopes to have 200 college and university signers by June 2007. To date, more than 50 college and university presidents and chancellors have either signed the commitment or letters of intent to sign the commitment by June.

By signing the Presidents Climate Commitment, Higdon has agreed to develop a long-range plan for the campus that will reduce and ultimately neutralize greenhouse gases. In brief, Higdon has pledged to:

- Initiate the development of a comprehensive plan to achieve climate neutrality as soon as possible;

- Initiate two or more ... tangible actions to reduce greenhouse gases while the more comprehensive plan is being developed, and

- Make the action plan, inventory, and periodic progress reports publicly available.

Connecticut College has long been a leader in campus environmental stewardship. Newsweek magazine recognized the college´s Center for Conservation Biology and Environmental Studies as "one of the best environmental studies programs in the United States."

In 1999, Connecticut College became the first college or university in the United States to address its carbon emissions, a primary cause of global warming, by joining the "Klinki Program." The college agreed to work with farmers in Costa Rica to plant enough fast growing trees to compensate for the 593 tons of carbon dioxide emitted annually by the electricity use in the Crozier-Williams College Center over the next 30 years.

According to Higdon, the commitment parallels Connecticut College´s tradition of addressing environmental sustainability in its curriculum and culture. A renewable energy policy is already in place, he said, and new campus buildings and renovations will follow green building techniques.

"This pledge simply reaffirms the college´s commitment to be a model for environmental sustainability," Higdon said. "We´re already on our way to carbon neutrality, as sustainability is an important part of our everyday operations at the college. We intend to remain a leader in the search for new ways to protect the environment through local practices."

The following are some examples of Connecticut College´s efforts in environmental sustainability:

- The college is one of 10 finalists in the "Ecomagination Challenge," sponsored by GE and mtvU, which challenged college students to "develop new, creative ways to green their campus."

- The college on a whole is currently amidst a "dial-down campaign" to reduce the college´s heating oil use.

- The college is again taking part in RecycleMania - a national recycling competition - and will try and top its fifth place finish last year.

- Connecticut College students have initiated a "Concert from Conservation" competition between residence halls to reduce the consumption of heating fuel and electricity on campus.

- The college has implemented a compact fluorescent bulb exchange program in student residence halls.

- For six years, Connecticut College has purchased renewable energy certificates (RECs) that provide a subsidy for production of wind energy equal to a percentage of the college´s annual electricity consumption. This year, for the first time, the college is planning to offset 100 percent of its annual electricity consumption.

- The college recently undertook a study to research the feasibility of erecting a wind turbine on campus to generate electrical power.

- For the past 14 years, Connecticut College has presented each graduate a white pine sapling for planting. Over the years, more than 5,000 saplings have been distributed to graduates.

Visit the Presidents Climate Commitment site to learn more.

Visit the college´s Green Living site to learn more about the programs and policies that integrate environmental sustainability into all aspects of campus life.

For more information contact: Amy Sullivan (860) 439-2526; amy.sullivan@conncoll.edu