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 Environmentalist Bill McKibben, the Stoffer Lecturer at this
fall’s Opening Convocation, put it bluntly: We must change our lifestyle—and do
it quickly—for the sake of future generations and for the sake of the planet. He
particularly emphasized the urgency of addressing global warming. "Over the past
20 years, global warming has turned from a hypothesis into a consensus," he
said. "The world’s scientists have reached a consensus that human beings, by
emitting carbon into the atmosphere, are warming the planet dangerously." Of
even greater concern, he added, is that global warming seems to be accelerating
at a faster rate than earlier predicted.
At Albion, we have already taken many steps to address the
challenge of sustainability, and students, faculty, and staff are continually
identifying opportunities to educate the campus community on environmental
issues and on strategies to use resources more responsibly. As you know, in
2007, our newly renovated science complex achieved silver certification for
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) from the U.S. Green
Building Council. At the time, it was one of only three LEED-certified science
facilities at a college or university in Michigan. Albion has also signed the
American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment, which calls for
eliminating global warming emissions and integrating sustainability into the
curriculum.
Our Institute for the Study of the Environment, under the
direction of geology professor Tim Lincoln, leads our educational programming in
this area. Dr. Lincoln also advises student action groups, including the
residents of our Environmental House which is devoted to sustainable living. A
first-year seminar class taught by art history professor Bille Wickre and
biology professor Doug White recently created a sculpture on the Environmental
House grounds designed as an artistic statement on sustainability. Entitled "A
New Direction," it functions as both a compass and a garden.
In addition, we now have a Sustainability Council that is working on a climate action plan to help the
College become carbon neutral. Lisa Anderson, ’09, and Erica Tauzer, ’10, two
student researchers who recently won National Wildlife Federation Campus Ecology
Fellowships, are assisting the Sustainability Council in formulating the climate
action plan. They are also promoting such campus innovations as a bicycle
library to reduce student dependency on cars and construction of a residential
wind turbine for supplemental power generation.
At its October meeting, our Board of Trustees approved our
Strategic Plan, "Albion 2015," developed over the past year with input from the
entire campus community as well as alumni and friends. Our aim was to craft a
vision for Albion’s future that was bold enough to distinguish Albion among
liberal arts colleges, but that still retained those core values that have
guided the College from its earliest days. Four major strategic themes are set
forth in the plan to help us realize our vision, and one of those is
sustainability. "Albion 2015" is a living, breathing plan that is both attentive
and responsive to societal changes of all kinds. Beginning this year, we will
flesh out the plan by implementing specific initiatives, based on the careful
work of 11 research teams. You will be hearing much more about all of these
initiatives in the coming months. I look forward to working with you—our alumni,
parents, and friends—as we put these ideas into action.
Donna Randall
President
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 Albion's Facilities Operations Department has introduced this GEM electric vehicle as one of several measures to reduce the College’s use of fossil fuels. Other steps include introduction of a small biodiesel fuel manufacturing facility. Photo by M. Arvoy |
 Students Lisa Anderson, Erica Tauzer, and Kara Sherman are working with Albion’s Sustainability Council on "green" initiatives. Anderson and Tauzer are involved in formulating a plan to help the College become carbon neutral. Sherman recently chaired Green Day on campus. Photo by C. Amos |
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