College and university presidents sign on to climate pledge

How Much CO2 Does a Kegger Emit?

Aiming to give greenhouse-gas reduction the old college try, 280 institutions have signed on to the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment. Modeled after a pact signed by mayors across the country, the agreement commits schools to promoting research on global warming, keeping track of emissions, and aiming for carbon neutrality. The effort is being led by President Michael Crow of Arizona State University, which plans to turn down the AC, increase solar power, and provide free bus passes to students, faculty, and staff. Some non-signers are lukewarm to the pact: University of Virginia President John T. Casteen III said signing would lead to spending taxpayer money "without appropriate planning or cost justification," and an administrator at Johns Hopkins University asked, "If a student goes on spring break to Daytona Beach, are we responsible for that, too?" Naysayers aside, Crow hopes 1,000 college presidents will sign on by the end of next year. Top that, mayors!

straight to the source: The Washington Post, Susan Kinzie, 12 Jun 2007

straight to the source: The Arizona Republic, Anne Ryman, 12 Jun 2007

straight to the source: University of Virginia Office of the President, 21 Mar 2007

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Comments: (1 comment)

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Spring break in Daytona? You wish!

... and an administrator at Johns Hopkins University asked, "If a student goes on spring break to Daytona Beach, are we responsible for that, too?"

I should hope so. What is a college education for if it doesn't educate students about the carbon footprint of air travel?

Colleges and universities have a problem. Consider a typical year at a small liberal arts college (1200 students):

Sept - 900 students fly in. 100-200 parents fly in to help their first-year get set up and then fly out.
Nov - 200 students make round-trip flight to "be with the family"
Dec/Jan - 900 students fly home and back
all year - hundreds & hundreds of visitors fly in (and out) to look the college over, decide whether to apply, or if admitted, whether to attend
May - hundreds & hundreds of visitors fly in (and out) for graduation
May - 900 students fly home

Oh, and what about Spring Break? And the faculty and the staff?

Let's face it. Colleges and universities encourage these trips. They build airfare costs into their financial aid packages. They subsidize faculty & staff travel. They tell applicants that the best way to decide on a college is to "come visit - check us out." Colleges and universities market themselves and operate on the basis of cheap air travel. Someone at Johns Hopkins needs to get a clue.

"Nature doesn't make long speeches" Lao Tzu 23

by alans at 12:48 PM on 20 Jun 2007

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