RADFORD -- To commemorate national Campus Sustainability Day, Radford University President Penelope W. Kyle signed the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) in a ceremony in the Hurlburt Student Center held Wednesday.

The action pledged the university to work toward neutralizing greenhouse gas emissions and building research and educational programs designed to help society re-stabilize the earth’s climate.

”Today we celebrate an important milestone,” Kyle said in her remarks. “Today, RU commits itself to adopting the best practices in sustainability and serving as a model for living in harmony with the environment.”

Building on the growing momentum for leadership and action on climate change, the Presidents’ Climate Commitment provides a framework and support for America’s colleges and universities to go climate neutral.

The Commitment recognizes the unique responsibility that institutions of higher education have as role models for their communities and in training the people who will develop the social, economic and technological solutions to reverse global warming. Presidents signing the Commitment are pledging to eliminate their campuses' greenhouse gas emissions over time. This involves:

• 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.

RU’s signing of the ACUPCC capped a series of Campus Sustainability Day events sponsored by RU’s Sustainability Steering Committee (SSC). The college of Graduate and Professional Studies (CGPS), Club Programming Committee (CPC) and Environmental Club presented Joel Salatin, operator of Polyface Farms and an acclaimed sustainable farmer from Waynesboro, VA on Monday. Salatin challenged the audience to pay more attention to the way the food they eat is produced and to embrace the challenges of sustainability. On Tuesday, the CGPS, CPC and Environmental Club screened Fresh, a recently-released independent movie that celebrates the farmers, thinkers and business people across America who are re-inventing our food system.

For more information on RU’s sustainability activities, visit www.radford.edu/rugreen/.