Environmental Leader

Some 580 college presidents have pledged that their colleges and universities will become carbon-neutral, but many are finding it a tough journey and are already missing deadlines, Christian Science Monitor reports.

Campuses must measure and understand their carbon footprints before they can set goals to become carbon neutral. GHG emission data from the original 391 schools were due in mid September, but so far only 190 have submitted while another 98 campuses asking for extensions.

Julian Dautremont-Smith, associate director of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, says he is not discouraged by the missed deadline because the nature of the commitment requires many decades to achieve.

In September, the new College Sustainability Report Card 2009 reported that colleges across the U.S. and Canada are boosting sustainability initiatives, with two out of three schools improving their grades from last year.

Campuses such as University of California, San Diego, Fresno State, Arizona State University,  have installed solar panels on campus in an attempt to be more environmentally friendly.

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