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A letter from Columbia University President Lee Bollinger, sent to all students on June 8, 2007:


Dear fellow member of the Columbia community:

Yesterday, as part of his effort to make New York City a cleaner, greener place to live and work, Mayor Bloomberg invited Columbia University and eight other New York institutions of higher learning to join the city in committing to an aggressive reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. We gladly accepted.

This recent Mayoral initiative, known as the PlaNYC Challenge, is one step toward PlaNYC 2030, the Mayor’s comprehensive proposal to improve the environment while spurring economic development and wise planning for future growth. By accepting the Mayor’s challenge, Columbia has committed to reducing 30 percent of University greenhouse gas emissions from last year’s levels in 10 years, well in advance of the Plan’s original target of 2030.

Over the next few months and in the coming years--under the leadership of Senior Executive Vice President Robert Kasdin and Executive Vice President for Facilities Joe Ienuso--we will be developing an implementation plan and interim targets. The University has already taken several key steps, including: metering individual buildings and collecting data on electricity usage; conducting energy audits; commissioning all new construction to ensure that the mechanical systems are operating at peak efficiency; and planning to retro-commission existing buildings. We are also launching a “green dorm”--our first ever--this fall.

The University has made this commitment because we share Mayor Bloomberg’s vision that New York must respond to the global challenge of climate change. We are making, in our research and teaching, enormous contributions to advancing knowledge and understanding of the environment and that will continue. But we also need every one of us within our community to do his or her part in making Columbia an environmentally responsible institution.

I would like to thank Robert, Joe, and Director of Environmental Stewardship Nilda Mesa, along with the many members of our faculty, staff and student body who are and who will be taking the steps that prepare us to fulfill this shared commitment to ensuring a more sustainable environment.

Sincerely,

Lee C. Bollinger

Labels: climate change, Columbia Business School, Environment

Green Wombat is a great blog on developments in the renewable energy business.

Labels: Energy, Environment, Renewables, Technology

The New York Times has been running a series of quite good articles in a series on energy-efficiency, including one today that takes a critical look at the micro-credit emission market. For those who are interested in seeing the entire series to date, check out nytimes.com/energychallenge.

Labels: Energy, Environment