La Voz

College presidents from the Foothill-De Anza Community College District, the University of California, and 278 other colleges and universities made a pledge to taking action by going into "climate neutral."

In Washington, D.C., the college presidents signed "The American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment," which aims to eliminate global warming emissions.

The climate commitment focuses on the speed of global warming and its potential for large-scale, adverse health, social, economic and ecological effects, with which the presidents and chancellors are deeply concerned.

They also believe the colleges and universities that exert leadership in addressing climate change will stabilize and reduce their energy costs, attract students and faculty, be recognized for more sources of funding and will see an increase in the support of alumni and local communities.

Adopting green standards for buildings, requiring "Energy Star" certifications for products bought by the schools, offsetting emissions caused by air travel, purchasing energy from renewable sources, encouraging public transportation and supporting climate and sustainability shareholder proposals were some of the concrete actions the presidents said they would take.

De Anza College President Brian Murphy said, "De Anza has always taken a leadership position regarding the environment. This expresses the depth of our commitment to the long range sustainability of the community."

All the presidents pledged to continue research and education to help bring an end to global warming in the future.

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