Along with over 200 other colleges and universities, Green Mountain College has signed the American Campuses Act on Climate Pledge organized by the White House last month to mobilize support for climate action at COP21 (see related story above).
The pledge says:
“As institutions of higher education, we applaud the progress already made to promote clean energy and climate action as we seek a comprehensive, ambitious agreement at the upcoming United Nations Climate Negotiations in Paris. We recognize the urgent need to act now to avoid irreversible costs to our global community’s economic prosperity and public health and are optimistic that world leaders will reach an agreement to secure a transition to a low carbon future. Today our school pledges to accelerate the transition to low-carbon energy while enhancing sustainable and resilient practices across our campus.”
COP21 has produced a strong consensus agreement on how nations will combat climate change; it is being hailed as a landmark international agreement. Now the focus is on implementation. Green Mountain has already achieved carbon neutrality and divested from fossil fuels, but more work is ahead as we move towards our 100 percent renewable energy goal outlined in the College’s strategic plan Sustainability 2020.