**Sign the PCC**
p. __To the Editor:__
p. Since last spring, students have been campaigning for College President Gene Nichol to sign the President’s Climate Commitment. The PCC is an agreement that would dedicate the College to achieving carbon neutrality and environmental sustainability. This is an important step in creating an environmentally friendly campus. In a recent study, the Sustainable Endowments Institute gave the College a ‘D-’ in campus sustainability. Abiding by the PCC would improve our environmental efforts immensely.
p. Despite its acceptance and support among the College community, Nichol has yet to sign the PCC. After receiving a positive recommendation from the Landscape, Environment and Energy Committee, Nichol went to the Faculty Assembly for its opinion. Each day the College spends debating over the PCC is a day it spends emitting unnecessary amounts of carbon into the atmosphere.
p. The PCC already has overwhelming student support. Students were the driving force behind the campaign and have dedicated large amounts of time and energy to the effort. They compiled hundreds of pages of information on the PCC and created plans for achieving its goals. 1,517 students signed a petition supporting the PCC. The faculty also supports the PCC, with 306 faculty and staff members signing the petition. Those who the PCC affects the most are some of its strongest supporters.
p. I would like to see the delays and deliberations stop and have Nichol sign the PCC. The College is a leader in higher education and should be leading the environmental movement. 424 schools have already signed the PCC. Implementing it may not be easy, but it is necessary. We need to strengthen our commitment to environmental sustainability and move into the new era of green campuses.
p. __— Lauren Edmonds ’11__
