Implementing the Presidents Climate Commitment in member schools of the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities

Eastern University - Pennsylvania Goshen College - Indiana Messiah College - Pennsylvania Point Loma Nazarene University - Seattle Pacific University - Washington Taccoa Falls College - Georgia Whitworth University - Washington

a. What are the foundational reasons for signing the commitment? ◊ rooted in institutional core values ◊ linked to stewardship ◊ tied to strategic initiatives ◊ based on what the institution is already committed to doing

Ecological Stewardship at Goshen College grows out of the following understandings and commitments: 1. Our Anabaptist Belief System 2. Our Core Values 3. Our Strategic Plan 4. Establishment of Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center 5. Our Current Energy Saving Actions at Goshen College

b. How is signing the Presidents Climate Commitment linked with the institution’s core values? ◊ statements of faith ◊ stewardship of all resources ◊ global responsibility ◊ servant leadership ◊ social justice commitments

assume responsibility for justice – especially social, political and economic justice assume responsibility for godly stewardship of all resources – Eastern University

To identify and promote university-wide awareness and dialogue regarding our responsibilities to be good stewards of resources. To develop in members of the PLNU community a desire to be lifelong stewards of the earth. – Point Loma Nazarene University

Reflecting Whitworth's mission to honor God, follow Christ and serve humanity, the university has established a standing sustainability sub-committee of the Presidential Planning Commission to identify and prioritize activities/initiatives that should be undertaken to make the campus more sustainable. – Whitworth University

c. What are the practical, on-the ground, strategies in a “top-down” administratively driven process of change (or “bottom-up” process)? ◊ Top-down - Presidential initiative - Physical plant cost savings efforts

“The endowment committee of the Whitworth Board of Trustees voted in fall 2008 to invest $2.5 million in a fund devoted to clean technologies. – Whitworth University

Goshen College Gas Usage

Goshen College Electrical Consumption

“Environmental stewardship is an essential component of the University’s mission, and this wind energy purchase is just the latest demonstration of our ongoing commitment.” – Eastern University President David Black

Campus retrofitting of heating, air conditioning, and lighting systems resulted in: 23.4% reduction in consumption of Electrical Energy 50% reduction in consumption of Natural Gas Usage – Point Loma Nazarene University

In less than 10 years, Seattle Pacific University increased the percentage of their waste stream that is recycled from 17% in 1999 to an outstanding 67% in Seattle Pacific cut per capita water consumption by 22%. – Seattle Pacific University

“As part of its response to the call for better stewardship of God’s Creation, Messiah College purchases 4.5 percent of its electricity from wind power, a renewable energy source.”

c. What are the practical, on-the ground, strategies in a “top-down” administratively driven process of change (or “bottom-up” process)? ◊ Bottom-up - Student clubs - Faculty designing environmentally based course(s) - Interdisciplinary efforts

“A long-term goal is to bring Messiah College “to 100 percent renewable energy down the road,” says Erik Lindquist, associate professor of biology and environmental science at Messiah College and faculty advisor for the student-led organization Earthkeepers.”

d. How is the climate commitment influencing the curriculum of the institution? ◊ A collection of courses with environmental themes ◊ Processes leading to integration in general education or core curricula

Professors Lindquist, Sheldon, and Foster integrate a commitment to environmental stewardship into the curriculum at Messiah College. “I’m constantly reminding students that we need a sense of place,” says Lindquist. “We’re organisms ourselves, and we need to be considering how we impact the places we inhabit.”

Vegetable Crops Agroecology Soil Properties and Management Small Farm Management and Produce Marketing

Education/Curriculum The context of learning will change to make human/environment interdependence, values, and ethics a seamless and central part of teaching of all disciplines. All students will understand that we are an integral part of nature. They will understand the ecological services that are critical for human existence and how to make the ecological footprint of human activity visible and as benign as possible. Understanding how to create a just and sustainable society must be a fundamental principle in all education. - Whitworth University

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