Looking Forward

CSB/SJU To Become Carbon-Neutral Campuses

(from Sagatagan Seasons, Volume 10 Number 4, Fall 2007)

At the Arboretum, we are always looking forward.  We look forward to the little, everyday events—When will the next bus of elementary school kids get to the kiosk?  When will the blazing star bloom?  When will we publish the next newsletter?—and we look forward with hope to the bigger things, ideas and plans that will protect the earth for future generations. It seems fitting that just as we celebrated a decade of the little things during our 10th anniversary summer, a very big change began on a different level.

The American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment launched in June 2007.  The Commitment defines itself as a “high-visibility effort to make campuses more sustainable and address global warming by garnering institutional commitments to reduce and ultimately neutralize greenhouse gas emissions on campus.”

The American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment is the first document of its kind aiming for neutrality, not reduction.  As of the end of July, over 300 college and university presidents had signed, formally agreeing to strive for carbon neutrality. The Commitment hopes to have at least 1,000 signatures, representing about a quarter of the nation’s colleges and universities, by 2009.

Both CSB President MaryAnn Baenninger and SJU President Dietrich Reinhart, O.S.B., are charter signatories of the document.  Dr. Baenninger is also a member of the Leadership Circle, a group of president signatories who have agreed to help lead and promote the initiative.

“The President’s Climate Commitment is deeply congruent with the Benedictine values of our community and enhances initiatives that we have long been undertaking at Saint John’s,” Brother Dietrich said in a statement.  “Making this formal commitment will help us prioritize our future efforts and focus our energies on effective and sustainable stewardship of our environment.”

Challenges are ahead for CSB/SJU, but some steps have already been taken. Every tree planted in the Arboretum is a step forward.  Every student who chooses to ride “the Link” buses between campuses rather than drive a car is making a step forward.  Between the 9,400 trees planted in fiscal year 2007 and 884,364 Link passengers in the 2006-07 school year, that’s a lot of steps.

Of course, our campuses, like many across the country, still have a long way to go.  In the next two years, both campuses will create formal action plans.  CSB’s plan may include adopting green standards for buildings, requiring ENERGY STAR certification for products purchased by the college, offsetting emissions due to air travel, encouraging public transportation, purchasing energy from renewable sources, and supporting climate and sustainability shareholder proposals through its endowment.

SJU’s plan may include implementing wind energy, exploring alternative fuel options for the power plant, and continuing current efforts to reduce global warming pollution.

As we look forward, the goal of carbon neutrality is still some distance away.  However, with these steps and commitments in place, it is not as unreachable as it once seemed.  We must continue with our little steps, from introducing future naturalists to environmental education to turning off the computer at the end of the day, in order to make our way toward the bigger things.  We are looking forward to the change.

Rachel Peterson is the 2007-08 writer/office coordinator fellow at the Arboretum and a 2007 graduate of the College of Saint Benedict.