Newswise — The University of Maryland is making great strides as it works to become a national leader in sustainability efforts on campus. From green roofs to LEED Certified buildings, being named the top green campus in the U.S., composting food in the student cafeterias into mulch and using the Recyclemania recycling competition to engage Maryland students, the university community is working together to cut its carbon footprint and become more ecologically friendly. These efforts have become especially important as the world celebrates the 40th anniversary of Earth Day by honoring the entire month of April as "Earth Month." It will be a focus on Maryland Day - the university's popular open house - April 24th.

Scott Lupin is Maryland's Associate Director for the Department of Environmental Safety, and directs the Office of Sustainability. He says the office was created in the summer of 2007 after University President C.D. Mote, Jr. signed the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment. More than 675 colleges and universities have now signed the commitment - which is a pledge to deal with their institution's greenhouse gas emissions using specific dates and milestones - including the implementation and institutionalization of sustainability principles into their operations and curriculum.

The commitment is so important to Maryland that the goal was included in the university's new strategic plan, which says "The University of Maryland will be widely recognized as a national model for a Green University. In ten years time the University will have made substantial progress towards addressing energy issues. It will have slashed energy use, expanded green spaces, dramatically reduced its carbon footprint, and built and retrofitted buildings to strict environmental standards. The University will complement these concrete actions with its teaching, research, and development efforts in energy science and policy, smart growth, environmental mapping, sustainable agriculture, and other fields."

You can read the University of Maryland Climate Action Plan on the ACUPCC website at http://acupcc.aashe.org/cap-report.php?id=278.

Recently, Newsdesk interviewed Scott Lupin to talk about the Office of Sustainability, what Maryland is doing to become carbon neutral, and where the university hopes to go in the future.

(Full release at: http://bit.ly/acyt10)

MEDIA CONTACT
Register for reporter access to contact details