Millennium Development Goals for Campuses

I had a conversation recently with Carol Welch from the Millennium Campaign about a campus rating system of sorts they are developing that I think readers of this blog will find interesting. First, a bit of background: Millennium Declaration was adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 2000. The Declaration established 8 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which include worthwhile aspirations like eliminating poverty and hunger, ensuring access to primary education, empowering women, combating AIDS and more. The Millennium Campaign is a UN initiative to raise awareness about the MDGs and to hold governments accountable for achieving them. Anyway, the Millennium Campaign is exploring the idea of creating some sort of rating system to recognize colleges and universities that are supporting the MDGs. Carol contacted me for advice on how to rate campus performance on MDG #7 - Ensure Environmental Sustainability. Specifically, she wanted suggestions on how to create system of recognition for environmental sustainability in campus operations with 5 levels representing progressive steps on the path toward sustainability. It was fun intellectual challenge to try and capture the full range of sustainability activities in just 5 progressive steps. Ultimately, drawing from my experiences working on AASHE's own nascent rating system, I suggested the following: 1. Recycling program in place 2. Adoption of policy on environmental sustainability 3. Formal commitment to reducing GHG emissions (including being a signatory to the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment) 4. Adoption of a climate action plan with a target date for climate neutrality and interim milestones 5. Achievement of climate neutrality I thought that since recycling plays such foundational role for broader sustainability activities on many campuses that it would make a logical first step. I focused on climate for the last 3 steps because it captures many of the other operational sustainability efforts underway on campus and is also widely regarded to be the most pressing sustainability challenge. Also, I thought a focus on climate change would link well with the other MDGs given the predictions that climate change will exacerbate world hunger and water shortages as well as aid the spread of disease. It will be very interesting to see how the other MDGs are represented in the rating system - I'll keep you posted as I learn more. What do you think about the 5 levels I recommended? If you post your ideas and suggestions in the comments section, I can share them with the folks at the Millennium Campaign.

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