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Clean Air-Cool Planet is the Northeast's leading nonprofit organization dedicated to finding and promoting solutions to global warming.
 Read about our current partners’ leadership efforts: Profiles in progress: College of the Atlantic Eastern CT State University Massachusetts Institute of Technology Roger Williams University Saint Joseph College
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Colby College Profile Clark University is a teaching and research institution founded in 1887 in Worcester, Massachusetts, the state’s second largest city. About 2000 undergraduate students at Clark study 29 majors, including Environmental Science and Policy and Global Environmental Studies. Graduate programs include four Masters through the International Development, Community, and Environment (IDCE) program in Environmental Science and Policy, International Development and Social Change, Community Development and Planning, and Geographic Information Sciences for Development and Environment. Clark entered into a partnership with Clean Air-Cool Planet in the spring of 2004.
Past Initiatives The university updated a chiller system in its library over the summer of 2004. In January of 2005, the Cathy ’83 and Marc ’81 Lasry Center for Bioscience opened to students. The project has been designed using best practices for sustainable labs, and may qualify for LEED Gold. Among many features, an energy-efficient mechanical system will consume 40% less energy than comparable laboratory buildings. In the fall of 2005, Clark University offered a new course titled “Sustainable University,” designed to address a variety of issues in sustainability. Students in the fall 2005 course worked on energy, recycling, food (including composting and the purchase of local foods), and navigating the structure of the University (learning how best to connect with those who can be helpful in implementing sustainable practices). In the Fall of 2006, students purchased over $10,000 worth of Renewable Energy Credits to offset their electricity consumption on campus. Clark received an award from Mass Energy Alliance for having made the largest contribution from the Private Sector in 2006. On October 25, 2006, the university hosted its first Campus Sustainability Day, an event celebrated by numerous colleges and universities. Student and local organization projects aimed at making the campus and the surrounding community more environmentally sustainable were showcased at the event. A check was presented to the Massachusetts Energy Consumers Alliance for deposit into the New England Wind Fund from the money raised by students in the university’s Renewable Energy Credit program.
Current Initiatives Clark is continually working to strengthen its recycling program, which dates back to 1990 and was student-led for over a decade. In January 2004 a staff person was brought on; since then, Clark has increased its amount of recycled material by 57%. Twenty undergraduate students enrolled in the fall 2006 semester course “Sustainable University,” completed a final report detailing the students semester research on current sustainable practices taking place at the university and future initiatives the university should consider related to energy conservation. Clark is in the process of calculating its greenhouse gas emissions using Clean Air-Cool Planet’s inventory tool. Recently, the University also began to focus on developing a comprehensive effort to reduce wasteful energy use on campus.
Future Initiatives Looking forward, Clark plans to continue to improve upon its recycling, energy efficiency and water conservation efforts. Clark supports one staff member to organize the student-run recycling program and other campus conservation efforts. Students on campus have expressed their desire to implement clean energy and energy conservation iniatives on campus. Upcoming student proposals include the use of renewable energy at Spree Day held each spring, increased implementation and involvement in the Renewable Energy Credit program.
Institution's Goal Dave Schmidt |