American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment
In 2009, former President Leonard A. Schlesinger signed the Presidents’ Climate Commitment and set Babson on a path to carbon neutrality.
The American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) is a high-visibility effort to address global climate disruption undertaken by a network of colleges and universities that have made institutional commitments to eliminate net greenhouse gas emissions from specified campus operations, and to promote the research and educational efforts of higher education to equip society to restabilize the earth’s climate. Its mission is to accelerate progress toward climate neutrality and sustainability by empowering the higher education sector to educate students, create solutions, and provide leadership by example for the rest of society.
The ACUPCC provides a framework and support for America’s colleges and universities to implement comprehensive plans in pursuit of climate neutrality. The commitment recognizes the unique responsibility that institutions of higher education have as role models for their communities and in educating the people who will develop the social, economic, and technological solutions to reverse global warming and help create a thriving, civil, and sustainable society.
As an ACUPCC institution, Babson will:
- Complete an emissions inventory
- Set a target date of 2050 for becoming climate neutral
- Publicly report its emissions