Unity College Sustainability Coordinator Recognized for Climate Leadership
Unity College Sustainability Coordinator, Jesse Pyles receives Second Nature’s 1st Annual Climate Leadership Award for Outstanding Individual Climate Leadership. Award recipients were recognized at the 4th Annual American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment Summit in Denver, CO on October 12th.
As the Sustainability Coordinator for Unity College, Mr. Pyles focuses on mobilizing student sustainability efforts on campus, and is coordinating the College’s climate action planning process. Among other things, he oversees campus waste, food-growing, and energy assessment work. He sits on the College’s planning and budget committees, is a member of the academic Center for Sustainability and Global Change, and reports directly to President Mitchell Thomashow. Mr. Pyles’ 2010 Sustainability Team includes Dr. Anne Stephenson, a Rocky Mountain Institute Sustainability Fellow, who is focusing on emissions mitigation strategies in campus buildings as well as numerous work-study students working in the areas of recycling, compost, food production, media outreach, and campus buildings.
Mr. Pyles recently completed a road trip along with a group of Unity students and 350.orgco-founder Bill McKibben that returned one of President Jimmy Carter’s solar panels back to the White House. The goal of this effort was to encourage President Obama to reinstall solar atop the White House as part of 350.org’s 10/10/10 Global Work Party, and to follow this symbolic gesture with substantial legislative action.
Sustainability is built into the mission of Unity College – it is Mr. Pyles job to help the campus Think Sustainably, Work Sustainably, and Live Sustainably.