2008 Woodie Awards
Mount vows to act on Climate Commitment signing
Emily Millirons
Issue date: 10/17/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
The Mount is doing its part in the fight against global warming.
On May 9, President Powell signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, pledging that Mount St. Mary's will reduce its greenhouse gas emissions over time with the ultimate aim of becoming "carbon neutral."
Though the Commitment was signed in May, the slow process of becoming carbon neutral-which will take years-has just begun.
To become carbon neutral, the Mount will take tangible as well as educational steps. It will complete a comprehensive emissions inventory, set a target date and temporary milestones for becoming climate neutral, take physical steps to reduce greenhouse gases, and develop a comprehensive plan.
Additionally, "sustainability" will be slowly integrated into the curriculum and the overall educational experience for Mount students.
The spring semester will offer a new course titled The Ethics of Global Warming.
The American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment launched in December 2006, two months after a group of 12 college and university presidents came together at a conference and agreed to form the Leadership Circle.
Members of the Leadership Circle then sent letters to college and university presidents and chancellors, imploring them to sign their commitment.
By March 31, 2007, 152 presidents had signed the commitment. As of October 15, 2007, therewere 414 signatories.
One of the environmental groups on campus, made up of nine members, including two students, is the Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability Committee (ESSC), who were pleased to hear of the Mount's commitment to the environment.
The group seeks to, as their vision statement says, "Promote the quality and sustainability of the environment at Mount St. Mary's University through the application of principles of stewardship derived from our Catholic tradition."
Chair of the ESSC, Dr. Brian Henning, said, "As perhaps the most pressing challenge facing humanity this century, we can no longer afford to conduct business as usual. This significant commitment is deeply congruent with our mission to graduate men and women who 'see and seek to resolve problems facing humanity.'"
"Beyond the apparent economic, political, and fiscal reasons for working to reduce our ecological footprint, as a Catholic liberal arts institution, we also have a unique moral obligation to present and future generations to be responsible stewards of our fragile natural environment," he continued.
This moral obligation has been discussed by Pope John Paul II; and is a focus of The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, who emphasize people taking care of God's creation.
Vice-Chair of the ESSC and Environmental Science Professor Dr. Jeff Simmons had a similar response to Henning, he said, "As a Catholic University it is important that we model good environmental stewardship. This means we need to be conscious of our impacts on the environment and do what we can to minimize or eliminate those impacts."
On May 9, President Powell signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, pledging that Mount St. Mary's will reduce its greenhouse gas emissions over time with the ultimate aim of becoming "carbon neutral."
Though the Commitment was signed in May, the slow process of becoming carbon neutral-which will take years-has just begun.
To become carbon neutral, the Mount will take tangible as well as educational steps. It will complete a comprehensive emissions inventory, set a target date and temporary milestones for becoming climate neutral, take physical steps to reduce greenhouse gases, and develop a comprehensive plan.
Additionally, "sustainability" will be slowly integrated into the curriculum and the overall educational experience for Mount students.
The spring semester will offer a new course titled The Ethics of Global Warming.
The American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment launched in December 2006, two months after a group of 12 college and university presidents came together at a conference and agreed to form the Leadership Circle.
Members of the Leadership Circle then sent letters to college and university presidents and chancellors, imploring them to sign their commitment.
By March 31, 2007, 152 presidents had signed the commitment. As of October 15, 2007, therewere 414 signatories.
One of the environmental groups on campus, made up of nine members, including two students, is the Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability Committee (ESSC), who were pleased to hear of the Mount's commitment to the environment.
The group seeks to, as their vision statement says, "Promote the quality and sustainability of the environment at Mount St. Mary's University through the application of principles of stewardship derived from our Catholic tradition."
Chair of the ESSC, Dr. Brian Henning, said, "As perhaps the most pressing challenge facing humanity this century, we can no longer afford to conduct business as usual. This significant commitment is deeply congruent with our mission to graduate men and women who 'see and seek to resolve problems facing humanity.'"
"Beyond the apparent economic, political, and fiscal reasons for working to reduce our ecological footprint, as a Catholic liberal arts institution, we also have a unique moral obligation to present and future generations to be responsible stewards of our fragile natural environment," he continued.
This moral obligation has been discussed by Pope John Paul II; and is a focus of The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, who emphasize people taking care of God's creation.
Vice-Chair of the ESSC and Environmental Science Professor Dr. Jeff Simmons had a similar response to Henning, he said, "As a Catholic University it is important that we model good environmental stewardship. This means we need to be conscious of our impacts on the environment and do what we can to minimize or eliminate those impacts."
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