Campus Climate Commitement

In June 2007, President Herzberger joined leaders throughout the nation in signing the American College & University President Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). This important initiative aims to “exercise leadership in [our] communities and throughout society by modeling ways to minimize global warming emissions, and by providing the knowledge and the educated graduates to achieve climate neutrality.”

To guide Whittier College's first steps in pursuit of climate neutrality, she formed the President's Climate Commitment Task Force. Composed of faculty, staff, and students, the Task Force serves as a study group to:

  • Investigate how other colleges and universities have initiated their own processes;
  • Oversee collection of information that will inform our inventory of greenhouse gas emissions;
  • Generate interest, educate, and solicit input from students, faculty, staff, alumni and parents.
  • Begin to identify ways to reduce the College's carbon emissions that will save or generate revenue that can then be invested in other environmentally activities; and
  • Recommend select pilot ventures to be tested during the initial of the project.
  • Note: this group is NOT charged with developing the College's plan to reach carbon neutrality, which will come later, based on this early work.

To fulfill the ACUPCC, Whittier must accomplish several things:

Establish an Institutional Stucture November 2007 DONE
Measure Greenhouse Gas Emissions By September 2008 DONE
Adopt Two or More of Seven Specified Tangible Actions ASAP DONE
Develop a Climate Action Plan By September 2009 IN PROGRESS
  • Plan to achieve climate neutrality
  • Develop target dates and milestones
  • Outline actions for including sustainability as a part of the curriculum and other education experience for all students