Climate Commitment

President Carter signed the Campus Climate Commitment on the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day, agreeing to develop a comprehensive Climate Action Plan by 2023. This community focused plan will integrate carbon neutrality planning with climate adaptation and capacity-building to promote regional planning efforts. The plan will include setting a target date for achieving carbon neutrality on campus, opportunities to reduce greenhouse gases, and a resilience assessment to identify initial indicators and current areas of vulnerability in the community.

Watch our virtual signing event and Q&A held on April 22, 2020.

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) has committed to supporting this effort. SU alumna and Pennsylvania Secretary of Conservation and Natural Resources Cindy Dunn joined President Carter in signing the commitment on behalf of DCNR, the South Mountain Partnership, and Michaux State Forest. 

The Center for Land Use and Sustainability is a strong supporter of this initiative, and CLUS Director Dr. Claire Jantz will be leading the Campus-Community Task Force.

The internal implementation team is led by the Climate Action Plan Committee. Members include:

  • Dr. Russ Hedberg- SU Sustainability Coordinator/Assistant Professor of Geography-Earth Science (Co-chair)
  • Mr. Scott Barton- Senior Vice President of Administration and Finance (Co-chair)
  • Mr. Chris Clarke- Executive Director of Operations (Implementation Liaison)
  • Mr. Michael Duignan - Executive Director for Campus Life & University Union
  • Dr. Kim Garris-  Vice President of External Relations & Communications 
  • SGA Appointed Student- Ian Thompson (2020-2021)
  • Ms. Antonia Price- CLUS Project Manager/Climate Commitment Coordinator (Facilitator)

Learn more about The Presidents’ Climate Leadership Commitments, an initiative through Second Nature. Millersville University, our sister school in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, updated their Climate Action Plan in 2019 through this program. West Chester and Slippery Rock Universities are also members of the Climate Leadership Network.