Chatham University
PAE-2: Strategic Plan

Chatham’s 20/20 Vision Plan states how important the environmental dimensions of sustainability are. The 20/20 Vision Plan states that among the many legacies of Rachel Carson is her alma mater’s longstanding commitment to environmental education, research and advocacy. The establishment of the Rachel Carson Institute, the designation of the campus as an arboretum, the hiring of some excellent new faculty, the formation of a student environmental club and living/learning hall, and the development of a very effective focus on writing about place in the MFA program are but a few examples of Chatham’s ongoing commitment to the environment. More recently, Chatham became a Charter Signatory to the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, whose members have pledged to reduce and hopefully eliminate their campus greenhouse gas emissions. The President’s Climate Commitment also details different dimensions of sustainability throughout Chatham University’s campus. The aspects the document outlines are landscape, energy production and transfer, building systems and building energy use and efficiency.

According to the 20/20 Vision Plan, the definition of sustainability that Chatham’s Board of Trustees adopted makes the relationship between sustainability and the environment clear: Chatham University defines sustainability as the capacity of society to meet its current needs without compromising the ecological, social and economic systems on which society will rely for meeting future needs. Integrating sustainability into the fabric of the university will require a coordinated and sustained university-wide effort of a kind rarely seen before. Coordination and collaboration across all aspects of the university will be required because sustainability – more than any of the other Mission Initiatives -- touches upon nearly every area of the university: operations, curriculum, student life, research, and the university’s interaction with everyone from community members to policy makers. The President’s Climate Commitment also details different dimensions of sustainability throughout Chatham University’s campus. The aspects the document outlines are landscape, vehicles and education.

The definition of sustainability that Chatham’s Board of Trustees adopted makes the relationship between sustainability and the environment clear: Chatham University defines sustainability as the capacity of society to meet its current needs without compromising the ecological, social and economic systems on which society will rely for meeting future needs. The President’s Climate Commitment also details different dimensions of sustainability throughout Chatham University’s campus. The aspects the document outlines are energy production and transfer, building systems and building energy use and efficiency.

http://www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org/