Allegheny College’s sustainability efforts include an organic campus garden, rain gardens, rooftop solar, environmental community art, a circular composting program, green roofing, LEED® certified buildings, geo-exchange heating and cooling, porous parking lots for stormwater management, wind generated electricity, an annual campus-wide energy challenge, Environmental Guiding Principles adopted by the Board of Trustees in 2002, and a Climate Action Plan that led to the College achieving carbon neutrality in 2020.
Sustainability Efforts Have Led To:
- 42% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions
- 23% improvement in energy efficiency
- 30% reduction in paper consumption
- 100% electricity from wind generation
- 8,500 kWh solar energy generated on campus annually
- 2,000 lbs of organic produce grown on campus annually
- 40% reduction in water consumption
- 115 tons of waste composted each year
Environmental Guiding Principles
The following Environmental Guiding Principles were adopted by Allegheny College’s Board of Trustees in 2002 as the mission behind the college’s sustainability efforts.
“Allegheny College strives to be a community in which the earth’s natural resources are used and sustained in manners that safeguard the health and survival of present and future generations. We acknowledge that as a learning community, we have an obligation to demonstrate our commitment to environmental stewardship. We affirm our commitment to protect and enhance the environment through our teaching, research, service, and operations. We seek to foster a community that educates itself on environmental awareness, local action, and global thinking. Environmentally sound practices are core values of the College.
We seek to be a campus community:
- In which the College is an environmental leader in all aspects of institutional functions, including planning, operations, purchasing, and maintenance;
- In which environmental leadership is seen as a continuous, participatory process of learning;
- In which environmental efforts encourage interdisciplinary ties and collaboration in teaching;
- In which we acknowledge our obligation to live responsibly as part of a forested ecosystem rich with aquatic and terrestrial resources; and
- In which College leadership and expertise contribute to local and regional environmental efforts.
To advance our goals, we will:
- Incorporate environmental concerns as a priority in College decision making;
- Consider social and economic impacts of Allegheny’s environmental policies and practices;
- Use participatory processes in developing Allegheny’s policies and practices; and
- Seek practices and procedures that protect the environment.
Our decisions and actions will be guided by the Allegheny College mission statement, reflective of the College’s resources and informed by the Campus Master Plan. As a learning institution, we recognize that achieving environmental sustainability will be an evolving practice.”
Key Sustainability Achievements
- 2002: Board of Trustees Adopted Environmental Guiding Principles
- 2007: Presidents’ Climate Commitment was signed and the Presidential Transition upheld the commitment
- 2008: Sustainability Coordinator position was created
- 2010: Climate Action Plan and 2020 Neutrality Goal were adopted
- 2011:
- Allegheny College was among only seven colleges and universities nationwide to join the Better Buildings Challenge announced today by President Barack Obama.
- A new array of six solar panels was installed on the roof of the Steffee Hall of Life Sciences on the Allegheny College campus. The panels were purchased and installed from the savings that students and staff helped the college achieve with an energy challenge during the previous two years.
- 2013: The Carr Hall Organic Garden, also known as “The Carrden” was founded as part of an Environmental Science and Sustainability Department Junior Seminar.
- 2015: The Sierra Club counted Allegheny College among America’s “Coolest Schools”
- 2016: The EPA recognized Allegheny College for the largest green power use NCAC schools
- 2020: Allegheny became the 1st College in Pennsylvania and the 8th in Nation to achieve carbon neutrality
- 2023: Allegheny College was recognized by U.S. Department of Energy for achieving its energy savings goal as a partner in the Better Buildings Challenge. Allegheny College was one of only four higher education institutions recognized as Better Buildings Challenge 2023 Goal Achievers and among only 21 higher education institutions that have committed to the challenge.