Colgate targets 2019 bicentennial for carbon neutrality

Colgate has set an ambitious target date to become carbon neutral by 2019, the university's 200th anniversary. In so doing, President Jeffrey Herbst again confirmed the high priority of sustainability practices on campus.

That aggressive target date will be attained through the implementation of 27 proposed on-campus mitigation projects, each outlined in Colgate's Sustainability and Climate Action Plan, submitted to the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment (ACUPCC).

For purposes of the ACUPCC, climate neutrality is defined as having no net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, to be achieved by minimizing GHG emissions as much as possible, and using carbon offsets or other measures to mitigate the remaining emissions.

"Our aggressive time frame makes sense in terms of good global citizenship as well as Colgate's academic mission," said Herbst, "and it is also fiscally responsible."

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