Elia Powers
In “Degrees That Matter: Climate Change and the University,” (MIT Press) Ann Rappaport and Sarah Hammond Creighton, both leaders of Tufts University’s Climate Initiative. The co-authors responded to questions from Inside Higher Ed about their latest project.Source: http://insidehighered.com/news/2007/05/01/climateQ: How can you best tell if a college’s environmental promise has teeth or is just empty rhetoric?
A: We are concerned that individual high-visibility projects can be confused with a comprehensive climate action effort. We suggest a set of activities that are the basis for a credible effort. These include:
- The campus master plan includes sustainability.
- Energy management systems are in place.
- Funding for energy efficiency is provided.
- Standards are in place for new construction.
- No old lighting technology is on campus (no incandescent or T-12 lamps).
- A recycling program is in place.
- The curriculum includes robust discussion of climate change and energy.
- A program to address single-occupancy vehicle use is in place and automobile alternatives are developed and implemented.
- A baseline inventory of the institution’s greenhouse gas emissions is conducted and published. The inventory needs to be updated periodically to show progress toward an established goal. A program that’s transparent and effective will provide the numbers that document progress, not just the anecdotes.
