IOWA LAKES LAUNCHES CARBON NEUTRALITY COMMITMENT
The President of
Iowa Lakes Community College has joined a select group of
college presidents from across the country in formally
committing to reduce and eventually eliminate all of the
college’s global warming emissions.
Dr. Harold Prior,
president of Iowa Lakes Community College, also pledged to
accelerate the research and educational efforts to equip society
to re-stabilize the earth’s climate, when he signed on with
fewer than 300 private and public colleges and university
presidents from across the nation.
"Iowa Lakes is
committed to leading the way in renewable energies," said Dr.
Prior. "The people in our area know that Iowa Lakes is in the
epicenter of activity related to sustainable and renewable
energies. We have terrific existing partnerships with many
current wind energy companies and we are actively engaged in
developing a relationship with the only cellulosic ethanol plant
in the United States and the only hydrogen engine company in the
world."
"This illustrates
that we are taking serious action as a college to do our part to
stop adding global warming pollution to the atmosphere," he
added.
Even before the
Presidents Climate Commitment, Iowa Lakes was taking steps in
this direction. For instance, the housing units built a year ago
at the Spencer and Estherville Campuses have geo-thermal heating
and cooling; most of the products purchased by the college have
Energy Star certification and the college benefits from the
electricity generated by the wind turbine on the Estherville
campus.
In addition,
Delaine Hiney, Executive Director of Facilities Management is
researching what’s called a "carbon footprint" for Iowa Lakes.
That involves researching the energy consumption and carbon
emissions of the college as well as such items as the history of
estimated annual travel by administrators, staff and faculty.
Colleges are
asked to commit to a target date for becoming carbon neutral.
However, because of varying circumstances, that will be
different for each college.
As part of its
effort to become carbon neutral, Iowa Lakes welcomes suggestions
from employees and the public. Comments may be sent to:
carbonfootprint@iowalakes.edu.
The Presidents
Climate Commitment is the first such effort by any major sector
of society to set climate neutrality – not just a reduction – as
its target. This undertaking by American’s colleges and
universities its inspired by efforts like the U.S. Mayor Climate
Protection Agreement, the U.S. Climate Action Partnership and
other collective efforts by states and businesses.
President Prior’s
commitment to the American College & University Presidents
Climate Committee (ACUPCC) was made with the initial group of
presidents and made Iowa Lakes a charter signatory institution.
"Colleges and
universities must lead the efforts to reverse global warming for
the health and well being of current and future generations,"
said Michael Crow, President of Arizona State University and
chair of the ACUPCC Steering Committee, "On behalf of all the
signatories, I welcome Dr. Prior to the commitment; we are
honored and pleased to have him join us."
The American
College & University Presidents Climate Commitment is a
high-visibility effort to address global warming by garnering
institutional commitments to neutralize greenhouse gas
emissions. Under the guidance and direction of university
presidents, the commitment is being supported and implemented by
the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher
Education (AASHE), Second Nature, and ecoAmerica.
Organizers of the
effort hope to enlist 1,000 institutions of higher learning by
2009. This nationwide effort represents the largest such
campaign by university presidents since World War II.
Learn more at:
http://www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org/
