Campus Climate Challenge Underway

October 20, 2005

Colleges and universities across North America have begun to make significant commitments to reduce campus greenhouse gas emissions. Some institutions have been spurred by cost-saving opportunities, others by principles, and others because of the encouragement of student groups.

The Campus Climate Challenge, launched on October 19, is a student-led initiative to engage students, faculty, and administrators at 500 campuses in the United States and Canada in a long-term contest to eliminate global warming pollution. Thirty student organizations have joined together to support this initiative. The challenge will help create an online community of campus climate experts to share ideas and resources and strengthen the positive outcomes on each campus. Students will be available to help college staff with the analyses of greenhouse gas emissions and implementation of solutions. So far, 93 campus groups have joined the challenge.

To launch the challenge, Energy Action and the Apollo Alliance are co-releasing a report "New Energy for Campuses" outlining strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions on campuses while saving money at the same time. The report includes case studies of 37 university policies and initiatives.

NACUBO has joined forces with four national higher education associations, covering the areas of student life, facilities directors, business officers, educational buyers, and university planners (ACUI, APPA, NAEB, and SCUP) in the co-sponsoring of a the Higher Education Climate Action Project (HECAP). This project is an outgrowth of the work at the U.S. Partnership for the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development and complements the Campus Climate Challenge. The HECAP Web site will be available soon and will include tools and calculators for assessing and reducing greenhouse gases; answers to your questions; resource links; expert voices; and successful campus case studies to help you move forward in your institution's commitment to reduce emissions.

Additional HECAP information will be made available soon to help you take advantage of the students’ enthusiasm, commitment, and skills to help with this important issue.