Got this meesage in an email list. Was wondering whether other organizations
in the USA are adopting similar initiatives.
David
David Preiss PhD
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Profesor Auxiliar / Assistant Professor
Pontificia Universidad Católica de <http://www.puc.cl/> Chile
Escuela de Psicología
Av. Vicuña Mackenna 4860
Macul, Santiago,
Chile
Fono: 56-2-3544605
Fax: 56-2-354-4844
E-mail: davidpreiss@puc.cl
-----Original Message-----
From: Richard Levin, Andrew Hamilton, John Pepper
[mailto:presidents.office@yale.edu]
Sent: Tuesday, October 11, 2005 12:21 PM
To: Yale Community
Subject: Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategy
In his recent book, Red Sky at Morning, Gus Speth, Dean of Yale’s School of
Forestry and Environmental Studies, states that in the face of disturbing
polar ice loss and the startling consequences of global warning “addressing
CO2 emissions from fossil fuels must be the bedrock of [a successful climate
strategy].” This concern has been strongly reinforced by the Advisory
Committee on Environmental Management, under the leadership of Professor
Thomas Graedel, and by a number of student groups around the university.
Yale recognizes the need to respond to and prepare for the unprecedented
circumstances that we face with respect to energy production, consumption,
and related carbon emissions. As an institution, Yale is committed to
becoming a model university that prepares its students for facing the
pressing environmental conditions and taking a leadership role amongst
higher education institutions to respond to the energy challenge.
In the fall of 2004 the Yale Energy Task Force, a university-wide committee
with staff, faculty and student representation, was convened to respond to
the challenge of increasing energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions. The
task force [link to http://www.yale.edu/sustainability] was charged with
making recommendations on Yale’s approach to energy - production (from
conventional to renewable), procurement, demand, greenhouse gas emission
reduction and conservation.
Following a thorough review and analysis, the Officers have adopted the key
recommendation from the report presented by the Energy Task Force. We are
pleased to announce the following campus wide goal which will become
effective immediately:
Yale is committed to a level of investment in energy conservation and
alternate energy sources that will lead, based on current projections, to a
reduction in its greenhouse gas emissions by 10% below our 1990 levels by
the year 2020. This is consistent with a similar commitment by the
Connecticut State Legislature and the New England Governor’s and Eastern
Canadian Premiers Climate Action Plan.
By adopting this goal Yale is one of the first universities in the country
to commit to a fifteen-year strategic energy plan. We intend to reach our
goal through a combination of a strong energy conservation program,
investing in alternative energy sources, purchasing Renewable Energy
Certificates, and implementing on-site renewable and clean energy
demonstration projects.
Every one of us on campus has a role to play in helping achieve this goal,
by conserving energy and by reducing the greenhouse gas emissions that flow
from its use. Effective conservation programs can further free up funds
within the University budget that will in turn be invested in renewable and
non-CO2 emitting forms of energy. Specifically, we are setting out to
achieve the following conservation targets:
* 15% reduction at residential colleges over a three-year period.
* 10% reduction at all other facilities
Two student groups, New Haven Action and the Student Task Force for
Environmental Partnership, will take the lead in engaging and educating
students on how to participate in advancing our goals for energy
conservation. For every 5% of reduction at residential colleges the
University will allocate renewable energy certificates to offset 1/3rd of
the electrical energy used by residential colleges.
There will be a great deal of learning to be gained, both here at Yale and
outside the campus community, on how to best meet our energy conservation
and greenhouse gas reduction goals. We will share this learning internally
and externally as it is gained in the months and years ahead.
To learn more about Yale’s fifteen-year Greenhouse Gas Reduction and
Renewable Energy strategic plan go to http://www.yale.edu/sustainability.
Sincerely,
Richard C. Levin, President
Andrew D. Hamilton, Provost
John E. Pepper, Vice President for Finance and Administration
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