Slippery Rock president signs green pledge

STAFF REPORT

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa.— The president of Slippery Rock University has signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment promising that the university is committed to helping lead the region in reducing global emissions of greenhouse gases, starting with its own campus.

Robert Smith, a longtime proponent of environmental sustainability, signed the document Thursday, noting that Slippery Rock has long been a leader in modeling sustainability issues.

Joining with presidents of other American colleges and universities is a natural step as they accept the challenge to become even more sustainable, he said.

“By becoming a party to the Presidents Climate Commitment, I am signifying that Slippery Rock University will expand even further its greening and sustainability efforts. We have a 600-plus-acre campus with more than 8,600 students supported by more than 1,000 faculty and staff. We must find ways to help reduce the impact the university has on the environment,” he said.

Launched in 2007, the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment is a network of signatory schools, representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia. More than 660 institutions have signed the pledge.

“We are proud of our decades-long greening efforts, which have already proven successful. We are proud of the graduates of our master’s in sustainable systems program and their work in the region and across the U.S. in expanding and creating new sustainability solutions, including building support for buying locally grown produce and promoting organically grown foods, while simultaneously reducing carbon footprints. We also realize there is much more to accomplish,” Smith said.

The university’s new strategic plan will incorporate steps that allow SRU to continue its leadership role in both sustainability and greening and will bring new projects to campus that help ensure its graduates have the skills, experience and leadership qualities necessary to continue to identify and solve issues related to the environment, he said.