In January of 2009, Colgate University committed to carbon neutrality by signing the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). On a Colgate Day in 2011, President Jeffrey Herbst reinforced the university’s commitment by approving the Sustainability and Climate Action Plan identifying 2019, the school’s bicentennial, as its target date for carbon neutrality.
Since then, the sustainability office has led the charge to reduce the campus’s carbon footprint. Efforts have included everything from educating students on how to “green” their living spaces, to coordinating a bicycle rental program, to installing an online building dashboard that allows students to see real-time data about the environmental impact of their residence halls.
Sustainability intern Jack Eiel ’15 and sustainability director John Pumilio recently published an update on the sustainability blog about the Climate Action Plan and the progress being made. Click to read their full update.