This is an entry in the 2013 Climate Leadership Awards – click here to vote for the best in campus sustainability.

When Hobart and William Smith President Mark D. Gearan signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment in 2007, the Colleges cemented both their dedication to a campus-wide effort of environmental sustainability and a more complete education towards its mission. In doing so, President Gearan set in motion an institution-wide initiative that incorporates environmental sustainability in all campus life and decisions.

The Hobart and William Smith Colleges’ Climate Action Plan is designed to fulfill the Colleges’ obligation to achieve “net zero greenhouse gas emissions” by 2025. It incorporates the input of students, faculty and staff in an effort to create an inclusive educational atmosphere that offers practical application for theories and ideas learned in the classroom, with the result of making a positive difference on the immediate HWS campus, in the local community and on a global scale. By fostering the growth of an environmental “living laboratory,” this Climate Action Plan offers opportunities for students to become empowered leaders and agents for change.