[NJHEPS-news] Rowan signs pledge to reduce global warming emissions

[Meierdierck, Terra]

Rowan signs pledge to reduce global warming emissions

University first in state to join national initiative

March 15, 2007

Colleges and universities across the country are heeding the call to do
their part to reduce global warming emissions on their campuses. Rowan
University President Dr. Donald Farish has committed the university to the
movement by recently signing a pledge to work toward becoming climate
neutral.

"We cannot depend on manufacturers alone to reduce global warming
emissions," said Farish. "Colleges and universities, in many cases, are like
small cities. We have a responsibility to address the issue of global
warming both in our curriculum as well as in our practices. We must lead by
example."

Farish is one of 134 presidents, and the first in New Jersey, to sign the
American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment. By signing the
pledge, the University has committed to develop a comprehensive plan to
achieve climate neutrality as soon as possible. Climate neutrality is
achieved when an organization reduces its carbon emissions as low as
possible and then institutes initiatives that offset the remaining
emissions, such as purchasing renewable energy. The University will begin
the process by conducting a comprehensive inventory of all greenhouse gas
emissions and developing an institutional action plan within the next two
years that will ensure the University adopts new policies and procedures
that will reduce carbon emissions and save energy.

Rowan already has taken a number of steps toward its long-term commitment.
University officials recently signed a contract to purchase 25 percent of
the institution's electricity from wind energy sources. Rowan's Energy
Review Panel has been implementing energy saving practices and procedures
for the past three years. The University is in the midst of organizing a
sustainability council that will work with the broader University community
to achieve the goals specified in the climate commitment. And, Rowan has
made great strides in reducing waste through its recycling program‹the
University placed third in a national collegiate waste-minimization
competition last year.

"Climate change will be the defining challenge of the 21st century. Higher
education institutions must take a leadership role in managing this major
societal and environmental risk through education, research, and through its
own actions," said John Cusack, executive director of the New Jersey Higher
Education Partnership for Sustainability. "Rowan should be commended for its
efforts."

Rowan's pledge places the university in the forefront of Gov. Jon Corzine's
efforts to reduce carbon emissions statewide. The governor's Executive Order
54 has committed the state to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20
percent by 2020 and 89 percent by 2050, and it is expected to make those
reductions mandatory for state agencies and state higher education
institutions.

For more information on the American College & University Presidents Climate
Commitment, visit www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org. 
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