Historic Climate Accord Anchors Earth Day Celebration at Shippensburg University

SHIPPENSBURG, Pa., April 22, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Shippensburg University (SU) & the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) committed to a long-standing sustainable future in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, part of the University's annual StewardSHIP week.

In a live stream earlier today, SU President Laurie A. Carter and Pennsylvania Secretary of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Cindy Dunn agreed to take action in following the climate leadership commitment. This agreement unites regional partners in pledging to develop a comprehensive Climate Action Plan by 2023 with the goal of creating carbon neutral operations on campus and building climate resilient communities.

"This agreement speaks to the vision and leadership at Shippensburg University," Dunn said. "We have a longstanding, focused partnership through our South Mountain Conservation Landscape that's really deep and substantive. Shippensburg University joins colleges across the nation by embracing a climate initiative. It's really going to be incumbent on colleges and  universities to lead the way on climate," Dunn added.

"We are making a commitment to be leaders in making a more sustainable and better future for all of us—at our university, in our community and globally," notes Dr. Russ Hedberg, the university's sustainability coordinator and professor of Geography and Earth Science. "We aim to no longer contribute to emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane that are driving our planet toward unsustainable futures."

"We will move towards climate resilience with an adaptation plan to help our community and our community partners in south central PA become climate resilient," adds Dr. Claire Jantz, director of the Center for Land Use and Sustainability at Shippensburg. "Our work on the climate commitment also includes the South Mountain Partnership and Michaux State Forest, and today's signing ceremony with DCNR reaffirms our collaborative and continued efforts in bringing sustainable measures to the region."  

"We are proud to begin our climate commitment in partnership with the South Mountain Partnership, Michaux State forest and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources," states Carter, adding that the University is committed to assisting the region in doing the work of sustainability. "Together, we commit to taking leadership in our community, to create a more sustainable and positive future."

For more information visit www.ship.edu/sustainability/climate_commitment/. Learn more about The Presidents' Climate Leadership Commitments, an initiative through Second Nature, at https://secondnature.org/signatory-handbook/the-commitments/.

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SOURCE Shippensburg University