Over 500 campuses have signed the American College and University President’s Climate Commitment agreeing to establish a plan to establish climate neutrality as soon as possible. Many other campuses have signed less rigorous climate commitments. 

Just what does it mean to be climate neutral?  How is it even possible when most campuses currently use fossil fuels for transportation, heating and electricity?  Further, most of the building materials, supplies and foods on campuses are heavily laden with embodied fossil energy. In this session, Jim Merkel will explore these questions as well as outline approaches for achieving climate neutrality.

Jim Merkel is the author of Radical Simplicity and former sustainability coordinator at Dartmouth College. Jim’s role while at Dartmouth College was to integrate environmentally and socially sustainable practices into the College's operations, culture and strategic plan. His work helped Dartmouth earn the highest grade given on the Sustainability Report Card issued by the Sustainable Endowments Institute for the two years he led the campuses sustainability efforts. Merkel’s projects include Sustainable Dining, Solar Thermal Evaluation, Carbon Reduction, Sustainable Offices, Green Greeks and Solid Waste Reduction.

Download Presentation

.pps | .pdf