DePauw moves forward with the PCC with a “Sustainability Initiative” plan
DePauw University’s Sustainability Initiative provides a roadmap including reports on how the university wishes to accomplish goals relating to enhanced sustainability in all of its manifestations following President Casey’s signing of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). The report addresses forthcoming institutional action, including the formation of sustainability work groups leading to accomplishment of ACUPCC goals. Additionally, liberal arts values related to sustainable behavior and studies promoting community engagement in the years to come are detailed.
President Casey’s letter regarding the Initiative:
Dear Colleagues and Friends,
As you know, in September I signed the Presidents Climate Commitment (PCC), pledging both responsibility for the way DePauw engages in its core activities and interacts with the world. By signing the commitment we also entered into commitment to do all that we can to work with our community in a shared effort to minimize our contribution to global warming. As a member institution of the PCC, we must exercise leadership in our community, and throughout society, by modeling ways to minimize global warming emissions. We must also graduate students who are not only aware of our responsibilities to the environment but who can serve as leaders as we work to solve this century’s economic, social and ecological challenges.
Today, DePauw has met the first benchmark required of those institutions that signed the Presidents Climate Commitment: we have developed our “Sustainability Initiative.” This first statement defines the institutional structure that will ensure our sustainability efforts and sets forth, publicly, potential first sustainability activities. The Sustainability Initiative also establishes working groups in the following areas:
Intellectual Life
Buildings and Grounds
Waste Minimization
Transportation and Air Travel
Community Relations
Communications and Reporting
Energy and Climate
Dining Services
Purchasing
Investments Diversity and Human Resources
Work group topics will range from environmental studies to energy conservation, from local food initiatives to reduced fossil fuel consumption, and from carbon footprint analysis to diversion of waste from landfills.
The complete Sustainability Initiative can be accessed here. It provides more information about the PCC and its requirements and about DePauw’s philosophical approach to this endeavor.
As a component of this first PCC requirement, DePauw must choose two tangible actions (from a list developed by the PCC organization) that we will put into effect immediately while working on other aspects of the program. We have chosen to adopt the following two actions:
- Implement an energy-efficient appliance purchasing policy requiring purchase of ENERGY STAR certified products in all areas for which such ratings exist.
- Establish a policy that all new campus construction will be built to at least the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Silver standard or equivalent. (In addition to the PCC requirement, we will also be renovating existing buildings at the LEED Silver level, where feasible.)
I invite your comments and suggestions on the Sustainability Initiative. At the end of the Sustainability Initiative webpage you will be able to submit your comments and indicate the Working Group(s) with which you would like to participate.
Faculty members, staff members, students, and members of the Greencastle community are invited and encouraged to participate. I urge you to find time in what I know are already very busy lives to actively contribute.
Most sincerely,
Brian W. Casey
President