Bunker Hill Community College Affirms Commitment to Climate Neutrality
Thursday, September 17, 2009
The President’s Climate Commitment Committee submitted its Climate Action Plan to the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). The plan documents the College’s commitment to reducing campus greenhouse gas emissions and outlines initiatives designed to achieve an overall goal of climate neutrality.
BHCC’s Climate Action Plan is based upon a comprehensive strategy of achieving climate neutrality. The College has already procured renewal energy credits for 100% of its purchased electricity and immediately reduced its carbon emission by 61%. It is expected that the College’s new Health and Wellness Center, which will open in early 2010, will receive LEED Gold Certification.
Launched in 2007, the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment is a network of 650 signatory schools, representing all fifty states and the District of Columbia. This high-visibility effort to address global warming garners institutional commitments to neutralize greenhouse gas emissions and accelerate the research and educational efforts of higher education to equip society to re-stabilize the earth’s climate.
As a signatory of the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment, Bunker Hill Community College receives support and resources designed to help the College achieve the outlined climate objectives and has access to a strong network of peer institutions that share insights into best practices. “I congratulate Bunker Hill Community College on its commitment to climate neutrality and for contributing to this first sector-wide effort at creating climate action plans,” said Toni Nelson, Program Director of the ACUPCC. “The collective impact of schools throughout the nation fighting climate change is tremendous,” she added.
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About Bunker Hill Community College
Bunker Hill Community College is the largest community college in Massachusetts, enrolling approximately 18,000 students annually. BHCC has two campuses in Charlestown and Chelsea, and a number of other locations throughout the Greater Boston area. BHCC is one of the most diverse institutions of higher education in Massachusetts. Sixty-five percent of the students are people of color and more than half of BHCC's students are women. The College also enrolls nearly 600 international students who come from 94 countries and speak more than 75 languages.