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Reprinted from COA Magazine, Summer/Fall 2007
The ranking of College of the Atlantic by Grist Magazine
as the "greenest" college or university in the world has brought
welcome recognition to our commitment to practice what we teach. And it
has raised eyebrows around the world: "How can such a small school be
ranked higher than larger and better known institutions?"
I think
the answer is instructive. When even a small school, with limited
resources, takes responsibility for its actions, the influence can
extend beyond the raw numbers of tons of greenhouse gases reduced or
cubic feet of solid waste avoided. If College of the Atlantic can
achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, so can every family,
business and college. The message sent by the fact that there is a
list, and the excellent work by so many colleges that it highlights, is
far more important than the rankings: the message is that higher
education "gets it." Success for any institution over the next several
decades will be dependent upon a wholehearted commitment to
sustainability. Not only is it the right thing to do, it is the only
smart thing to do.
For colleges, investments in energy efficiency, renewable energy and
waste reduction now mean
 cost savings in the future. For us, that
translates into lower tuition than we would otherwise face, and that is
no small matter. Our core mission - the best education that we can
possibly provide at a cost that our students and their families can
afford - has not changed and it will not. To be the best college we can
be, we must be the greenest college that we can be. To provide the best
education we can, we must live the lessons we hope our students and
communities will learn.
So, are we the greenest college in the world? Not yet, I suspect. We
have much to learn from others. But we are pretty darn good. And we are
working to get better. Over the next year or so, we will invest the
equivalent of three to five percent of our operating budget in
conservation measures that will pay for themselves quickly and result
in cost savings in the future. We will continue to share what we learn
with business and families in our community.
As president of a college dedicated to the study of human ecology, I
would be disappointed if we weren';t on the cutting edge of commitment
to a sustainable world. As an individual, a parent and grandparent, a
citizen of the United States, and an inhabitant of this precious
planet, I would be happier if a top-twenty list were impossible to
compile because every institution had made a comparable commitment.
That day is coming; a century from now, we will be right here, still
studying the relationships among humans and the environment, and we
will be sharing the challenge of providing higher education only with
other colleges that have made the transition to sustainability.
~David Hales
President of College of the Atlantic
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