Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 69.73
Liaison Lindsey Lyons
Submission Date April 30, 2012
Executive Letter Download

STARS v1.2

Dickinson College
PAE-5: Climate Action Plan

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Daniel Webster
Sustainability Projects Coordinator
Center for Sustainability Education
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have a plan to mitigate its greenhouse gas emissions that meets the criteria for this credit?:
Yes

A brief summary of the climate plan’s long-term goals:

Dickinson College received a Climate Leadership Award from Second Nature in 2010 for our climate action plan and climate change education initiative. A Climate Change Action Plan Working Group, comprised of faculty, staff, and students, was created in Fall 2008. Throughout the 2008-09 school year, the group met weekly to discuss potential projects and strategies to reduce Dickinson’s greenhouse gas emissions. A draft plan was presented to numerous groups for input, including the President’s Staff, the President’s Commission on Environmental Sustainability (PCES), the Planning and Budget Committee, Dickinson SAVES, and Student Senate. The final plan was approved by PCES and adopted by the college on September 15th, 2009. The climate plan calls for Dickinson College to become climate neutral by 2020. The implementation of this action plan will reduce greenhouse gas emissions 25 percent from 2008 levels by 2020, with the balance of emissions offset through projects with community partners, composting and recycling, and purchases of renewable energy certificates.


A brief summary of the climate plan’s short-term goals:

Longer-term, the plan calls for deeper emission reductions of 50 percent from 2008 levels by 2025 and 75 percent by 2030.


Year the climate plan was formally adopted or approved:
2,009

An indication of whether institution has made a commitment to reduce GHG emissions a specific amount by a target year:
Yes

List which emissions (scope 1, 2, and/or 3) are included in its GHG emissions commitment:
Scopes 1, 2, and 3

The reduction level (percentage) institution has committed to:
10%

The baseline year the institution used in its GHG emissions commitment:
July 1, 2008

The baseline emissions level institution used in its GHG emissions commitment:
Gross Emissions were 18,632 MT CO2

The target year the institution specified in its GHG emissions commitment :
June 30, 2020

The website URL where information about the climate plan is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

Students in a spring 2011 course, Practicum in Sustainability: Reducing Dickinson’s Carbon Footprint, conducted a review of the Climate Action Plan and developed recommendations for new actions and revision of the plan. Their findings and recommendations were presented to PCES on May 4, 2011 and their final report will be submitted by end of May. PCES will consider their recommendations in the coming months.


Students in a spring 2011 course, Practicum in Sustainability: Reducing Dickinson’s Carbon Footprint, conducted a review of the Climate Action Plan and developed recommendations for new actions and revision of the plan. Their findings and recommendations were presented to PCES on May 4, 2011 and their final report will be submitted by end of May. PCES will consider their recommendations in the coming months.

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.