New Building - A Model of Green Design

The College recently signed two forward-thinking documents, formalizing its commitment to sustainable, environmentally sound practices.

American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment

President Susan Scrimshaw recently signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), joining more than 450 colleges and universities in a high-visibility pledge to neutralize greenhouse gas emissions and accelerate climate-related research and educational efforts.

Presidents signing the Commitment pledge to eliminate their campuses' greenhouse gas emissions over time by taking the following steps:

  • Completing an emissions inventory;
  • Within two years, setting a target date and interim milestones for becoming climate neutral;
  • Taking immediate steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by choosing from a list of short-term actions;
  • Integrating sustainability into the curriculum and making it part of the educational experience;
  • Making the action plan, inventory, and progress reports publicly available.

The ACUPCC provides a comprehensive plan for institutions to complete these actions and to teach students to develop social, economic, and technologic solutions to reverse global warming.

While working on longer-term action items, Simmons has taken several immediate steps towards the goal of carbon-neutrality. New construction, including the School of Management/Academic Building, the library renovation, and the Fens expansion, incorporate sustainable building practices. Several on-campus appliances are Energy Star-certified, including laundry machines, Dell desktops, and Mac desktops and laptops.

Environmentally-friendly habits are promoted by the College through the subsidization of public transportation passes, and also through high-visibility recycling efforts, which range from desk-side recycling bins and using only recycled copy and print paper, to the annual furniture yard sale and the donation of old computers to non-profits.

Simmons is implementing multi-year facility equipment upgrades to improve efficiency of heating and cooling systems. New automatic temperature controls in all buildings will allow heating and cooling to be programmed based on occupancy. The College also uses compact florescent lighting, occupancy sensors, and photo cells, and uses automatic shut downs and energy savings modes for all office and general use computers to reduce electricity use.

The American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment was developed and is supported by Second Nature, ecoAmerica, and the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. It believes that colleges and universities are in a unique position as role models, both for their students and for their communities.

For more details, visit www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org.

The Principles for Responsible Management Education

The School of Management recently signed the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME), a framework for academic institutions to advance corporate social responsibility by incorporating universal values into curricula and research.

Developed by an international task force of 60 deans, university presidents, and official representatives of leading business schools, PRME is sponsored by the UN Global Compact and the Association for the Advancement of Collegiate Business Education. PRME consists of six principles focusing on responsible teaching and leadership that work toward a sustainable global economy.

The principles include:

  • teaching students to promote sustainability in business and society;
  • incorporating the value of global social responsibility into academic activities;
  • engaging in research about the impact of corporations on environmental and social issues; and
  • facilitating dialogue between educators, businesses, government, consumers, media, civil society organizations, and other interested groups.

To support these principles, the School of Management will implement a plan to hold themselves accountable for the long-term impact of their decisions. The school is addressing the business implications of environmental sustainability in their curriculum. The school also sponsors a chapter of Net Impact, a national MBA student club designed to prepare leaders to use business to improve the world.

Operationally, the School of Management's new home will use 30% less energy and water, and it is evaluating other practices to reduce the consumption of carbon-based energy and forest products.

For more information on the PMRE, visit www.unglobalcompact.com.