Green Mountain College
Tier2-1: Graduation Pledge

The Conservation Psychology (ELA 2027, sp ‘11) class created a graduation sustainability pledge for the 2011 graduating class. Graduating seniors in the class drafted the text based partly on Aldo Leopold’s Land Ethic. They wanted to bring the GMC experience full circle while also emphasizing a commitment to making decisions throughout life that consider environmental, economic and social aspects of sustainability consistent with the GMC mission. The rest of the class helped organize logistics and craft the message before it was shared with the entire senior class for additional comments. While there are other models of graduation pledges (with one commonly used by a number of other academic institutions), GMC students wanted to create a pledge that is less generic and more home-grown. In addition, students made key chain reminders of the pledge for anyone who signed (funded by Alumni relations). Over one hundred graduating seniors signed the large (re-used) banner expressing the pledge during Earth Week and at the senior brunch following graduation rehearsal. The Banner was hung in Withey Hall on graduation day. The sustainability pledge reads as follows: I pledge to be conscious of and active in preserving the integrity and beauty of the biotic community. I will strive to embody Leopold's land ethic by viewing land as a community and consider environmental, social, and economic aspects of sustainability in my decisions and actions throughout life.