Campus Climate Commitment

From President Sharon Herzberger's Letter to the Campus Community,
September 6, 2007

[On behalf of Whittier College], I have signed the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment. Through this important initiative, colleges and universities will demonstrate leadership by modeling ways to minimize global warming and by educating graduates to help communities achieve environmental sustainability. [As part of our work to fulfill this commitment], we will conduct an inventory of greenhouse gases emitted by College facilities and associated with other College activities (such as travel to and from campus by students, staff, and guests), and then develop a long-range plan to achieve climate neutrality. I am appointing a Task Force to study realistic, flexible, and affordable ways to minimize the College's carbon footprint, and I invite all of you with expertise and interest to be part of this study process.


In June 2007, President Herzberger joined leaders throughout the nation in signing the American College & University Presidents 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.”

Whittier College's participation in this joint commitment will encompass a variety of measures, from the implementation of related curricular study, to the hosting of educational campus events, to the mechanical examination of the College's current carbon footprint and potential long-range improvement. The mobilization of our extended community—students, faculty, staff, alumni, families, trustees, and local leaders—is critical to the success of this venture, and we encourage participation.

If you would like to join our efforts, or if you have ideas on how our campus can work to achieve climate neutrality, please e-mail ClimateCommitment@whittier.edu.