President's Climate Commitment

President Hart Signs Presidents Climate Commitment

Temple University made public its commitment to improving the planet’s climate when President Ann Weaver Hart added her name to the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment at a signing ceremony on April 21, 2008.
In doing so, President Hart aligned Temple with more than 600 colleges and universities around the globe that have made reducing their impact on the world’s climate a priority. She said it’s a commitment that the Temple community was ready to make.

“Students, faculty and administrative leaders in the last year have shown tremendous enthusiasm for creating an urban university that is sensitive to its impact on the environment,” Hart said. “Signing the Climate Commitment was the next logical step for Temple.”

The commitment prescribes a series of steps to create an institutional plan for becoming climate neutral, with a special emphasis on reducing greenhouse gases, now seen as major factor in global warming. The commitment starts the clock on a range of initiatives that will reduce Temple University’s greenhouse gas emissions, including:

• Completing an emissions inventory
• Within two years, setting a target date and mid-range milestones for achieving climate neutrality
• Taking immediate steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through a series of short-term actions.
• Further integrating sustainability into our curriculum
• Reporting progress in each of these areas.

The American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment was created in 2006 to encourage and guide institutions of higher education as they reduce their impact on the environment.

Downloadable Copy of Presidential Climate Commitment, signed by President Hart