We believe that the capacity to address climate change is alive and well in our colleges and universities. If your school has not already signed on to the President’s Climate Commitment, ask your President or Chancellor to do the following by signing the ACUPCC. Recognize the scientific consensus that climate change is real and largely attributable to human actions Recognize the need to reduce global emission of greenhouse gases by 80% by mid-century at the latest Support the Belief that colleges and university must take a leadership role by modeling ways to minimize greenhouse gas emissions and by producing graduates who are knowledgeable, educated, and capable of reaching climate neutrality Immediately initiate 2 or more of the following actions: Establish a policy that all new campus construction be built U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Silver standard or equivalent Adopt policy of requiring that appliances be ENERGY STAR certified in all areas that certification is available Offset all emissions incurred through air travel paid for by the institution Encourage the use of and provide access to public transportation for all faculty, staff, students, and visitors to your college or university Commit to purchasing at least 15% of the institution energy from renewable sources within one year of signing the agreement Adopt a policy that supports climate and sustainability shareholder proposals at companies where the college or university’s endowment is invested Participate in the Waste Minimization campaign of the national RecycleMania competition by adopting 3 or more measure to reduce waste Develop a comprehensive plan to achieve carbon neutrality Within 2 months: Create institutional structures to guide development and implementation of the plan Within 1 year: Complete a comprehensive inventory of all greenhouse gas emissions Within 2 years: Complete plan for climate neutrality including a target date, interim targets and goals, actions to integrate climate neutrality into curriculum, actions to expand research, and mechanisms for tracking progress on goals and actions. Make the action plan, inventory, and progress report available to the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).