The Story
Rally Promotes Climate Commitment, Advisory Committee Approves
Members of the Student Environmental Action Coalition marched to promote signing of the President's Climate Commitment. Photo by Alanna Whytock.
At its meeting last Thursday, the Landscape, Energy and Environment (LEE) Committee informally approved the Presidents’ Climate Commitment (PCC) to be signed by President Nichol. This marks a turning point in the Student Environmental Action Coalition’s (SEAC) campaign for the “greening” of the College.
Just before the meeting, SEAC led a group of approximately 70 students, faculty and staff from the Wren courtyard to the law school to greet the LEE committee. The PCC is a formal commitment by the College to the cause of climate neutrality.
Over 400 college and university presidents across the nation have already signed this commitment. Last spring, SEAC was unsuccessful in convincing President Nichol to sign it because Nichol wanted more information about such a shift in policy and asked for a LEE Committee recommendation.
On Sept. 11, the Student Assembly passed a resolution in support of the PCC. According to SEAC coordinator Joshua Wayland, SEAC is now “very optimistic that President Nichol will sign the PCC. The LEE Committee meeting was overwhelmingly positive, as has been the community-wide show of support for this document.”
President Nichol is, according to sources, waiting on the official recommendation from the LEE committee before actually signing the Commitment.
Many students seem to feel that the PCC is worth supporting. One ’07 alum participating in the march said, “It’s good and important to have support from all constituencies at the College.”
It is not just the rally that demonstrated support; according to Wayland, “more than 1,000 students, nearly 1,000 alumni, and 300 faculty and staff have signed a SEAC-sponsored petition calling for the endorsement of the PCC.”
The petition, available online at greeningwm.com, is another way students can be involved in the movement to increase environmental awareness at the College. SEAC members have been promoting this petition with a Facebook group of over 238 members, a table outside the UC and various e-mails. Students can sign the petition through Sept. 30.
Thursday’s march was SEAC’s most recent event to raise awareness and promote community involvement. The crowd gathered at 12:20 with banners and pinwheels and wore green to represent the greening of the campus.
The turnout was better than expected, even though the march was scheduled during a typical class and lunchtime. “Participants were empowered to have a real influence on the decision making processes of the College,” Wayland said.
If the LEE Committee decision is any indication, not just students are enthusiastic. According to Wayland, student environmental activists expected to meet a lot more resistance than they did. Instead, they were pleasantly surprised by the attitude of the administration, which seemed to already be convinced on the subject of climate change.
The University Presidents Climate Commitment is an agreement, signed by the President of a college or university, to strive to eliminate the institution’s greenhouse gas emission. According to the Commitment, once Nichol signs, the College should complete a series of steps, including the creation of a climate neutral plan that would either end or balance out all gas emissions.
Another component of the PCC is its promise to further educate students. The PCC asserts that sustainability must be integrated into the College’s curriculum to further involve students.
According to greeningwm.com, “a sustainable campus … possesses endless opportunities to have indirect impact upon the environment and society through the model it provides for others to follow and the legacy it leaves for future generations.” The website also notes that right now the College emits 62,560 metric tons of carbon dioxide each year.
College interest in the PCC was piqued last spring by a report by Kristen McCann, David Sievers and Massey Whorley, three students in a graduate public policy class taught by Professor Sharapova.
Their report, “Public, Great and Global: W&M and the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment,” provided multiple recommendations as to how the College could lessen its ecological impact.
For students who are interested in getting involved, SEAC is planning additional events, including a celebration after President Nichol actually signs the commitment and a speaker next Wednesday about mountain-top removal coal mining and related problems. SEAC meets weekly, on Tuesday nights at 6 p.m. in McGlothlin-Street Hall, Room 20.