Watch the video above to learn more about the Campus Climate Commitment, or visit Shippensburg University’s website.

On the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, Shippensburg University President Laurie Carter signed the Climate Commitment, one of the Presidents’ Climate Leadership Commitments through Second Nature. This community focused plan will integrate carbon neutrality planning with climate adaptation and capacity-building to promote regional planning efforts. We have partnered with the South Mountain Partnership through the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to maximize our impact. 

The CLUS will play a key role in this initiative, which will include setting a target date for achieving carbon neutrality on campus, opportunities to reduce greenhouse gases, and a resilience assessment to identify initial indicators and current areas of vulnerability in the community. Dr. Claire Jantz (CLUS Director) and Dr. Russ Hedberg (CLUS Affiliate Scholar) are leading this effort through 2023.

The ShipComposts project is a student-led composting initiative with a goal of bridging issues related to food waste, food insecurity, and soil health while supporting the Campus Climate Commitment. The project takes food waste produced at the university dining hall and turns it into compost for use on the Campus Farm. This improves soil health, fosters the growth of healthy produce, reduces food waste, and sequesters carbon. More than half of the produce grown on the farm is then donated to Shippensburg Produce and Outreach (SPO) to help community members in need.

The initiative also features educational and outreach activities led by SU students both on campus and in the community. These activities have included small-scale food waste assessments, hands-on composting demonstrations, and several educational events for university and K-12 students, as well as community members.