Denison has a goal to reach carbon neutrality by 2030 and cut its greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero by 2045. The journey to net-zero started in 2010 with the signing of the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) and continues today. Since 2010 Denison has reduced its carbon footprint by 50% through strategic investment in onsite renewable energy, transitioning to natural gas to heat our campus, and the use of a green revolving loan fund that has invested in over 150 energy efficiency and water conservation projects across campus.

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History of the Presidents’ Climate Commitment

Climate Commitment logo

On Earth Day, April 22, 2010, President Emeritus Dale T. Knobel signed the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). This historic act formally put the college on a path towards carbon neutrality within 20 years, by 2030.

The ACUPCC launched in 2006 with 12 founding members and, since its first annual Climate Leadership Summit, has grown to a group of nearly 700 university and college presidents who believe that educational institutions can help create technological, economic, and social solutions to climate change.

The accord is a commitment by institutions of higher education to exercise leadership in their communities and throughout society by modeling ways to minimize global warming emissions, as well as furthering research and education on climate solutions.

In November 2015, President Adam Weinberg, renewed Denison’s commitment to climate action and carbon neutrality, when he signed the American Campus Act on Climate.

At Denison, our commitments come to fruition through meaningful actions. Since 2010 we’ve reduced our carbon footprint by more than 50 percent, which includes the elimination of coal as a heat source for campus. We’ve also tripled onsite solar energy production. Denison is on track to reach our goal of carbon neutrality on or before 2030.

Denison’s 2023 Sustainability & Climate Action Plan outlines the college’s broad plans for engaging sustainability and achieving carbon net-zero.