2009 ACUPCC Climate Leadership Summit

More than 250 leaders in higher education joined us for the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment 2009 Climate Leadership Summit in Chicago on August 13-14, 2009. The participants included college and university presidents, facilities directors, sustainability directors, business officers, and others. Former President Clinton presented a rousing keynote address in which he congratulated the higher education sector for taking the lead in fighting climate change, but said that we’re merely “piddling around” compared to what we could and should be doing to help society join the effort. Several other notable speakers inspired us with their presentations as well. A Summit summary(PDF) provides more information and photographs from the event. See below for other helpful links.

Videos of Speaker Presentations

• President Bill Clinton
• Janine Benyus, Keystone, Biomimicry Guild
• Tony Cortese, President, Second Nature
• Rick Fedrizzi, President, U.S. Green Building Council
  • Slides
• Joe Grasso, Assistant Dean of Finance and Administration, Cornell University
  • Slides
• Martha Kanter, Under Secretary, US Department of Education
• Michael Kinsley, Senior Consultant, Rocky Mountain Institute
  • Slides
  • RMI Project Profile: Adobe Systems Corporate Headquarters
  • RMI Project Profile: Oregon Health & Science University Center for Health and Healing
• Jose Zaglul, President, EARTH University

Videos of Panel Presentations

• Exploring Green Buildings on Chicago Campuses
• Funding Climate Action and Other Higher Education Sustainability Efforts
• International Approaches to Education for Sustainability
  • Slides: Harold Glasser, Associate Professor & Chair of the PUSC, Western Michigan University
  • Slides: Andrew Chamberlain, Scotland Manager, Environmental Assoc. for Universities& Colleges
  • Slides: Kiran Chhokar, Centre for Environment Education
  • Slides: Lik Meng Lee, Universiti Sains Malaysia
  • Slides: Shin-Cheng Yeh, National Taiwan Normal University

Blogs and Podcasts

• Exploring Green Buildings on Chicago Campuses: A Summary of the Pre-conference Workshop for the Advancing Green Building in Higher Education Initiative
• Importance of a ‘Whole System Design Approach’ for Buildings: From the Presentation of Michael Kinsley, Senior Consultant, Rocky Mountain Institute
• Clinton Climate Initiative and ACUPCC Partner on Energy Efficiency Building Retrofit Program
• The New Financial Climate: Converting Risks of Climate Change into Opportunities: From the Presentation of Joe Grasso, Assistant Dean for Finance and Administration at Cornell University
• Where Government and Higher Education Intersect to Meet Energy and Sustainability Needs: From the Presentation of Martha Kanter, US Undersecretary of Education
• The 1,000 lb. Elephant in the Room - Capital vs. Operational Budgets by William C. Johnson, Vice President, Haley & Aldrich Inc.
• Federal Policy Summary on Climate & Sustainability Funding Opportunities for Higher Education: From Presentation of Jim Elder, Founder of the Campaign for Environmental Literacy
• Podcast Interviews from the Summit
  • Jesse Pyles, Sustainability Coordinator at Unity College
  • Dr. Kathleen Schatzberg, President of Cape Cod Community College
  • Glenn Cummings, Assistant Deputy Secretary with the U.S. Department of Education

News Release

• President Clinton to Present Keynote Address at ACUPCC Summit in Chicago
  August 13, 2009

Attendees

• View the full attendee list

Media Coverage

• US Colleges Set a Green Course
  Reuters/GreenBiz.com; August 19, 2009
• Clinton says the environment is core to the future economy
  GreenRightNow.com; August 19, 2009
• Bill Clinton Urges Greener College Campuses
  The Chicago Sun-Times; August 14, 2009
• Clinton Does Chi-Town
  NBC Chicago; August 14, 2009
• Clinton urges universities to go green
  San Francisco Chronicle; August 14, 2009
• Bill Clinton pitches energy efficiency at Palmer House
  WBBM 780; August 14, 2009
• How Campus Climate Leaders Will Help Revive Regional Economies
  National Wildlife Federation Web site; August 14, 2009
• Bill Clinton speaks on climate change
  ABC Chicago; August 13, 2009
• Bill Clinton: Make college campuses greener
  CLTV Online; August 13, 2009
• President Clinton keynoter at university Climate Commitment Summit
  GreenRightNow.com; August 13, 2009
• “My Wife and I Have Now Switched Roles”
  FoxNews.com; August 13, 2009