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Carbon Calculator and Climate Action Pledge Tool:


Climate change heroes:

    Roger Smith

    Work statewide. Roger Smith, as coordinator of the CT Climate Coalition and campaign director of CT Clean Water Action, has devoted the past six years to mobilizing citizens, students, and other organizations to support clean energy, energy efficiency and strong public policy to address climate change in Connecticut. At the local level, he has also coordinated the creation of West Hartford’s comprehensive model municipal energy plan.

     

Resources for College Students

Green Jobs Training at Connecticut’s Community Colleges

The Connecticut Community Colleges now offer certificate programs in sustainable operations, targeting the emerging fields of alternative and renewable energy. The new programs are part of the Sustainable Operations: Alternative and Renewable (SOAR) Energy Initiative, funded by a $2 million U.S. Department of Labor Community-Based Job Training grant.

The SOAR certificate programs teach students to:

  • build or retrofit energy-efficient, healthy buildings
  • apply sustainable landscape ecology skills
  • work with solar equipment and systems
  • evaluate and maintain alternative vehicle fuel systems
  • provide service for a clean-water-treatment plant
  • conduct home energy audits
  • design and operate facilities using sustainable concepts.

Links to Cool Sites for College/University Students

350.org

Sustainability Education Resources

View resources to teach and learn about sustainability at the college/university level.

CT College and University Climate Heroes

Central Connecticut State University

President Miller of Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) was a charter signatory to the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment in August of 2007. As part of this commitment, CCSU was the first Connecticut university to submit a Climate Action Plan, with a pledge to become carbon neutral by 2050. The university has inventoried its greenhouse gas emissions using the Campus Carbon Calculator Software developed by Clean Air-Cool Planet. The President’s Advisory Council on Environmental Sustainability oversees the university’s sustainability efforts.

Wesleyan University

Since 2005, Wesleyan University has shown great leadership in addressing climate change.  The university was honored with a 2010 CT Climate Change Leadership Award.  Accomplishments include:

Signing the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment, which calls for a greenhouse gas inventory and plan to achieve carbon neutrality.

Building or renovating the following buildings to Leadership in [...]

Yale University Sculpture Building and Art Gallery

A landmark in sustainability in Connecticut, this 65,000 sq ft studio and gallery complex was the first building in Connecticut to receive a LEED Platinum rating from the US Green Building Council—the highest rating for Green Building in the country.

University of Connecticut

President Hogan of UConn signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment on March 25, 2008. UConn and is working to achieve carbon-neutrality by 2050. Residence halls are focusing on improving energy efficiency, Transportation and Parking Services are focused on increasing carpooling and reducing parking demand, academic units are seeking new ways to integrate sustainability into their curriculum, and the Biofuels Consortium is planning to expand operations to also service the local communities.

Connecticut College

New London. Connecticut College has created comprehensive program that is reducing and offsetting the college’s carbon footprint, including: Purchase of 100% renewable energy offsets, installation of solar PV, development of a comprehensive sustainability baseline, following LEED guidelines for all renovations, student-led efforts that have reduced dorm energy use by 12%, and much more…

Yale University

Yale University has taken a leadership role among institutions of higher education in taking a stance on global warming and reducing campus GHG emissions. Yale has committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, and built the state’s first LEED platinum green building.