UNCF on Sustainability in Black Colleges and Universties

Credit To: Felicia M. Davis, United Negro College Fund

Under the leadership of Dr. Michael Lomax, the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) has embarked upon a course designed to position Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) on the frontline of the transition to a green economy. Working in collaboration with established environmental organizations, green building experts, and environmental justice leadership, the UNCF Building Green Initiative merges a renewed commitment to academic excellence with an emerging focus on sustainability. The goal of the Initiative is to usher in an eco-renaissance penetrating deep into African American and other communities of color to reignite a commitment to educational and environmental stewardship.

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The first Principle of Environmental Justice affirms the sacredness of Mother Earth. The seventeenth and final principle urges individuals to make personal choices to consume as little of Mother Earth's resources and produce as little waste as possible, and to make the conscious decision to challenge and reprioritize our lifestyles to ensure the health of the natural world for present and future generations

The Clark Atlanta University Environmental Justice Resource Center was established in 1994 with an interdisciplinary approach to environmental studies that connects environment and human rights. The Center works in broad areas including transportation equity, sprawl, energy, and climate change with human impact and equity as central research considerations. Environmental justice and sustainability are virtually synonymous except that environmental justice places people squarely in the landscape, elevates race and equity as significant considerations, and focuses on “where we eat, sleep, study, work, play and pray” as environmental priorities.

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Representatives from the Clark Atlanta University Environmental Justice Resource Center, Xavier’s Deep South Center for Environmental Justice (now housed at Dillard), the Indigenous Environmental Network, and a diverse coalition of U.S. environmental justice, religious, climate justice, policy and advocacy networks grappled with equity considerations related to climate policy. Following COP6, environmental justice advocates formed the Environmental Justice and Climate Change Initiative (EJCC), a consensus-based coalition that developed programs and papers to educate policymakers and under-represented communities about the effects of climate change.

In the quest for domestic climate legislation, Black colleges received little attention and limited funding. Although, technically speaking, a single climatic event cannot be considered climate change, Hurricane Katrina provided a graphic depiction of the disproportional impact of climate catastrophes on low-income communities. African Americans in the Gulf Coast put a human face on climate change for a nation far removed from impacts around the globe. In spite of Katrina, energy policy gained little traction within the Black community.

As the economy stalled and Black unemployment spiked to double digits, talk of green jobs began to attract the attention of social justice advocates, most notably Van Jones. Meanwhile, a few student climate justice advocates emerged on HBCU campuses. These student leaders worked to enlist their peers in various climate campaigns. Black colleges slowly and quietly began to offer environmental courses, recycling programs, and even built a few LEED certified green buildings.

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Clearly, environmental education must become a transcendent and pervasive theme for higher education institutions working to prepare future global leaders. Partnering with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, and Second Nature, UNCF is creating a strong, united front to ensure that students attending minority-serving institutions are prepared to apply their talent and energy to solving our most pressing problems, and that these institutions are transformed into sustainable engines of opportunity.

*For more visit http://www.climateneutralcampus.com/landing.php?whitepaper=advancing-green-building-and-campus-sustainability-in-communities-of-color&page=2

Executive Order 13514

Credit To: US Department of Energy

Strategic Sustainability Performance Planning

Federal agencies are required to develop, implement, and annually update a Strategic Sustainability Performance Plan that prioritizes agency actions based on life-cycle return on investment. Between fiscal years 2011 and 2021, each plan shall:

• Include a policy statement committing the agency to comply with environmental and energy statutes, regulations, and executive orders.
• Achieve established sustainability goals and targets, including greenhouse gas reduction targets.
• Be integrated within each agency's strategic planning and budgeting process.
• Identify agency activities, policies, plans, procedures, and practices relevant to the implementation of E.O. 13514 and, where necessary, provide for development and implementation of new or revised policies, plans, procedures, and practices.
• Identify specific agency goals, schedules, milestones, and approaches for achieving results and quantifiable metrics required by E.O. 13514.
• Outline planned actions to provide information about agency progress, performance, and results on a publicly available Federal Web site.
• Incorporate actions for achieving progress metrics identified by the CEQ Chair and OMB Director.
• Evaluate agency climate change risks and vulnerabilities to manage the effects of climate change on the agency's operations and mission in both the short and long term.
• Consider environmental measures as well as economic benefits, social benefits, and costs in evaluating projects and activities based on life-cycle return on investment.
• Annually identify opportunities for improvement and evaluate past performance to extend or expand projects that have net benefits as well as reassess or discontinue under-performing projects.

The CEQ Chair and OMB Director are responsible for reviewing and approving each agency's multi-year strategic sustainability performance plan.
A list of all Strategic Sustainability Plans for each agency is available on the OMB Web site.

Greenhouse Gas Management

Greenhouse gas management is imperative within E.O. 13514. Each Federal agency must:

• Within 90 days, establish and report to the CEQ Chair and OMB Director a fiscal year 2020 percentage reduction target of agency-wide scope 1 and scope 2 GHG emissions in absolute terms relative to a fiscal year 2008 baseline.
  • In establishing the target, agencies shall consider reductions associated with:
    • Reducing agency building energy intensity.
    • Increasing agency renewable energy use and on-site projects.
    • Reducing agency use of fossil fuels by:
      • Using low GHG emitting and alternative fuel vehicles.
      • Optimizing vehicle numbers across agency fleets.
      • Reducing petroleum consumption in agency fleets of 20 or more 2% annually through fiscal year 2020 relative to a fiscal year 2005 baseline.
  • Where appropriate, this target shall exclude direct emissions from excluded vehicles and equipment as well as electric power produced and sold commercially to other parties in the course of regular business.
• Within 240 days, establish and report to the CEQ Chair and OMB Director a fiscal year 2020 percentage reduction target for agency-wide scope 3 GHG emissions in absolute terms relative to a fiscal year 2008 baseline.
  • In establishing the target, agencies shall consider reductions associated with:
    • Pursuing opportunities with vendors and contractors to address and incentivize GHG emission reductions.
    • Implementing strategies and accommodations for transit, travel, training, and conferences that actively reduce carbon emissions associated with commuting and travel by agency staff.
    • Meeting greenhouse gas emissions reductions associated with other Federal Government sustainability goals.
    • Implementing innovative policies and practices that address agency-specific scope 3 GHG emissions.
• Within 15 months, establish and report to the CEQ Chair and OMB Director a comprehensive inventory of absolute GHG emissions across all three scopes for fiscal year 2010. Comprehensive inventories shall be submitted annually thereafter at the end of each January.

*Read more at http://www1.eere.energy.gov/femp/regulations/eo13514.html

CAU Sustainability Procurement Team: Courtney Price

CAU Procurement Team: Student Leader named Courtney Price

Name: Courtney Price

Research Interest: Supply Chain, Logistics
Employment Target: Supply Chain Analyst

Industry: Retail, Logistics, Purchasing

Biographical Summary:I am a graduating senior Business Administration major with a concentration in Supply Chain Management. I am currently seeking full-time employment within supply chain.

CAU Supply Chain-Procurement Team Leader named Arquasha Newkirk

Arquasha Newkirk named to Clark Atlanta University Procurement Team

Name: Arquasha C. Newkirk 
Research Interest: Supply Chain, Logistics, Green Supply Chain

Employment Target: Supply Chain Analyst

Industry: Retail, Logistics, Purchasing

  

Biographical Summary:

I am a graduating senior Business Administration major with a concentration in Supply Chain Management. I studied abroad in Bangkok, Thailand and I am on Clark Atlanta University Dean’s List. I am currently a member of Toastmasters and The Institute for Supply Chain Management. I am currently seeking full-time employment within supply chain.