FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 1, 2011
Contact: Ulli Klein, 617-722-0036 ext. 206, uklein@secondnature.org
Inactive Institutions Removed from American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (PDF)
BOSTON,MA—On July 1, 2011, ten institutions were removed from the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) network after missing three consecutive reporting requirements. As a consequence of their inactive status, they have been removed from the ACUPCC website and the online Reporting System.
ACUPCC institutions agree to ongoing public reporting on their progress, including (1) an Institutional Profile due within two months of signing; (2) a Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory due within one year of their start date; (3) a Climate Action Plan due within two years of their start-date; (4) an updated Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory due within three years of their start-date, and at least every other year thereafter; and (5) a Progress Report on their Climate Action Plan due within four years of their start-date at least every other year thereafter.
Ongoing public reporting is critical for success – both in terms of each signatory’s individual goals and in terms of the collective goals of the ACUPCC network. These reports are the only way to show the full impact of this unprecedented commitment by a critical mass of an entire sector. The reports also provide accountability and integrity for the initiative, ensuring that there is follow through and real progress. By publicly reporting, ACUPCC institutions are demonstrating that they are fulfilling their commitment to their stakeholders and to each other.
There are many resources available to help institutions that have fallen behind in their reporting get back on track. The ACUPCC staff members at Second Nature are available to provide support and are committed to ensuring that all signatories are successful in meeting their implementation goals. Also, theACUPCC Implementation Support Committee made up of sustainability champions in various positions at a variety of institution-types is available to help their colleagues at other ACUPCC institutions navigate and complete the reporting process.
In July 2010, fifteen signatories were removed from the Climate Commitment for failing to submit three consecutive reports. All removed signatories are welcome to re-join the ACUPCC, and are encouraged to do so when their circumstances and capacity to meet the requirements are more appropriate and available.
To check the reporting status of a specific ACUPCC institution, please visit the ACUPCC Reporting System.
About the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment (ACUPCC):
The ACUPCC is a high-visibility effort to address global warming by garnering institutional commitments to eliminate net greenhouse gas emissions and accelerate the research and educational efforts of higher education to equip society to re-stabilize the earth's climate. The ACUPCC is led by a Steering Committee comprised of more than 20 university and college presidents and is staffed and supported by Second Nature, a Boston-based national nonprofit organization, with additional support provided by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.
Learn more at: www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org.
About Second Nature:
Second Nature works to create a healthy, just, and sustainable society by transforming higher education. Second Nature is the lead supporting organization of the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment, a growing network of over 675 signatory higher education institutions in all fifty states that have made a public commitment to neutralize their greenhouse gas emissions and transform their curricula to educate all students to contribute to solving the climate crisis.
Learn more at: www.secondnature.org.
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