Campus Environmental Responsibility

Working toward a sustainable campus. Working toward a sustainable world.

Since its inception in 1997 CEED has been an advocate for developing campus programs that allow us to practice what we preach on our home turf. Allegheny's commitment to environmental responsibility demonstrates how to be "green" across campus with organic landscaping, an on-campus composter for food waste, and the recent opening of North Village, a green-residential hall. CEED Project Directors, many of whom teach in the Environmental Science department, and their students have been important drivers for many of these projects, including adoption of Environmental Guiding Principles for the College.

Check out Allegheny College's environmental initiatives at http://www.allegheny.edu/green/

Campus Environmental Responsibility Highlights from 2006 - 2007

Allegheny College President Makes Climate Commitment

With advice from CEED and the Task Force on Environmental Responsibility, Allegheny College joined the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). As a result, President Richard Cook, a founding member of AASHE's leadership circle, signed the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment. The commitment is a challenge to colleges and universities to develop a comprehensive plan to eliminate their global warming emissions and expand educational resources for students in the fields of sustainability and the environment.

"Allegheny is not only committed to reducing its own impact on the environment, but we are also dedicated to providing students with the knowledge and skills they need to deal with ongoing environmental issues as they assume leadership roles," stated Cook. "We also hope to set an early example to many other institutions of higher education that have not yet made this commitment. Achieving climate neutrality and making investments in the environmental education of today's youth are critical to the long-term health of our economy and society." From a press release April 18, 2007

Greenhouse Gas Inventory

In part as a response to the College's signing this Climate Commitment, Environmental Science professor Jennifer DeHart's Junior Seminar initiated a baseline greenhouse gas inventory for the Allegheny campus. Two students from that class are working with Professor DeHart during the summer of 2007 to complete this study. The resulting work will be used to help the College form a baseline for determining how to lower its carbon footprint. Professor DeHart's research also represents a collaboration with Pennsylvania Consortium for Interdisciplinary Environmental Policy (PCIEP) to inventory all Pennsylvania colleges and universities.

Allegheny College Climate Change Initiative (ACCCI)

Launched during the 2006-2007 academic year, ACCCI represents an interdisciplinary, collaborative initiative to increase public awareness and education around issues of climate change, and to promote individual and institutional efforts to reduce the human impacts of climate change. Sponsored by Commonwealth Community Energy Project (CCEP), The French Creek Project, The Henry Luce Foundation, and at Allegheny College: Center for Political Participation (CPP), Office of Religious Life, Student Activities Office, Students for Environmental Action, and Environmental Science Club, ACCCI events included:

• Speakers: Dan Becker of the Sierra Club, Don Brown of PCIEP, and Felicity Barringer of the New York Times
• Launch of The Carbon Challenge, a campus-community partnership to reduce regional carbon emissions and showing of An Inconvenient Truth
• Fundraiser and Service Activity: Local Goods for Local Energy Savings. Fundraiser of locally grown, produced and baked treats, to generate money for community energy reduction efforts. Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs were installed in emergency shelters, transitional housing, low-income housing, and area churches in the Meadville community in a service event on Earth Day.

Total estimated number of attendees and volunteers from all events: 1,650. CEED is exploring options for extending this initiative for 2007-08.

Wind Energy Purchase to increase soon:

Wind energy already accounts for 10 percent of the college's power usage-and that figure will increase to 15 percent, effective July 1, 2007. The College's current annual purchase of wind-generated electrical power has qualified it as a Green Power Partner by the Environmental Protection Agency. Read more.