President Michael Crow is joining 98 other university leaders in a fight against carbon emissions, yet another move to make sustainability less a buzzword and more a state of mind.
The presidents recently signed an agreement with the American College and University President's Climate Commitment to cut campus carbon emissions to zero.
"It's a pledge to establish policy," said Jim Buizer, director of the Office of Sustainability Initiatives. "As we move forward we are looking at ways to limit greenhouse emissions."
As one of the largest universities in the country, it was important that ASU take a stance on global warming, Buizer said.
He spoke for Crow, who was unavailable for comment.
"President Crow never shies away from the big issues," he said. "As a consequence he plays an important leadership role."
ASU has no set date for achieving "carbon-zero," the point where campus carbon-dioxide emissions are offset by the use of renewable energy sources and the oxygen produced by plants and trees on campus, but has already taken measures to limit carbon-dioxide emissions on campus, Buizer said.
The School of Sustainability was created in 2007 to reframe the relationship with humans and the natural environment, he said.
The University has also had success in creating porous, rubberized asphalt, such as the kind used to create the New American Parking Lot, that will absorb less heat, he added.
Free bus passes for students and teachers is another method ASU has incorporated to reduce carbon emissions, Buizer said.
The University will fund the measures necessary to achieve carbon neutrality, he said.
Each campus must determine its own "carbon-zero" date and how they plan to achieve carbon neutrality within that time period, said Anthony Cortese, co-director of the Climate Commitment.
"Global warming is the biggest challenge modern society will face in the 21st Century," he said. "Correcting the problem will improve reinventing society."
While each college and university will determine their own courses of action for diminishing carbon emissions on their campuses, they will agree on a method in June and announce their plans, Cortese said.
Each institution must create a plan to inform students and the general public on its progress, he added.
Colleges and universities are the most qualified institutions to lead this movement towards carbon neutrality, Cortese said.
"Higher education trains 99 percent of the professionals in society," he said. "They are responsible for creating knowledge and education for the graduates who will lead in society."
The knowledge students retain today will help solve social and economic problems in the future, Cortese added.
There is no set price on how much money will be required to achieve carbon neutrality, but costs for projected plans will be no more expensive than any other typical development plan, Buizer added.
"It requires a different way of thinking," he said. "You put into the framework of your public announcement that you want to limit emissions and bidders come back with that factored in."
Colleges and universities are like small cities. As a result, they should be responsible for leading an important economical change, Cortese said.
"We are a strong demonstration for the transition society has to make," he said.
Crow, along with 62 other presidents, is considered a founding member of this agreement and will be responsible for recruiting other presidents to join the initiative, Cortese said.
Reach the reporter at: gary.levison@asu.edu.
