President Chabotar Signs American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment

President Kent Chabotar has signed the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment, distinguishing Guilford as one of four colleges or universities in North Carolina (along with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Warren Wilson College and Haywood Community College) and the first Quaker-founded college nationally to sign the pledge to date.

The Presidents Climate Commitment aligns Guilford with more than 250 institutions of higher education across the country who have pledged to address global warming by neutralizing their greenhouse gas emissions and accelerating research and educational efforts to equip society to re-stabilize the earth's climate.

"Guilford has a long-standing commitment to environmental protection that has been re-affirmed by signing the Presidents Climate Commitment," Chabotar says. "However, it will not be enough just to sign the commitment. We must invest time and money to support sustainability efforts that our students and employees are ready and able to accomplish. Our Shore Hall solar panel project is an example of such initiatives. Let's hope that other institutions, inside higher education and out, do the same if our planet is to survive into the twenty-second century."

Under Chabotar's presidency, Guilford has seen increasing commitment to sustainability. In 2005-06, the Sustainability Council was established to direct college initiatives to increase environmental sustainability on campus and in the community. In 2006-07, this group of students, faculty and staff received $50,000 in funding from the president.

As part of the Presidents Climate Commitment, Chabotar will create a comprehensive institutional action plan to move towards climate neutrality. In the short term, Guilford will take the following concrete actions:

Work towards adoption of green standards for buildings, following U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) construction guidelines; Develop geothermal and solar energy projects; and Encourage public transportation.These efforts build on Guilford's ongoing commitment to sustainability, including such efforts as:

Adoption of green cleaning technology; Continued use of public transit systems; Expanded and improved recycling program; Development of water reduction projects; and The recent installation of 12 solar panels on Shore Hall. Jon Varnell, associate vice president of operations and facilities, says, "We believe [The Presidents Climate Commitment] will bring cohesiveness to the sustainability efforts of the college while doing our part to be global citizens. Endorsed by the Board of Trustees and signed by the president, this agreement has the ability to not only bring our sustainability efforts across campus together, but provide an added level of energy to those efforts."

The Presidents Climate Commitment is the first such effort by any major sector of society to set climate neutrality - not just a reduction - as its target. This undertaking by America's colleges and universities is inspired by efforts like the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, the U.S. Climate Action Partnership, and other collective efforts by states and businesses.

"Colleges and universities must lead the effort to reverse global warming for the health and well-being of current and future generations," said Michael Crow, President of Arizona State University and a founding member of the ACUPCC Leadership Circle. "On behalf of all the signatories, I welcome President Chabotar to the commitment. We are honored and pleased to have him join us."

The American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment is a high-visibility effort to address global warming by garnering institutional commitments to neutralize greenhouse gas emissions and to accelerate the research and educational efforts of higher education to equip society to re-stabilize the earth's climate. Under the guidance and direction of the Leadership Circle of presidents, the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment is being supported and implemented by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), Second Nature and ecoAmerica.

June 1, 2007