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December 5, 2008

Contact: Scott Silversten Phone: (718) 862-7232 E-mail: Public Relations

Manhattan College Announces Presidential Proclamation Declaring College’s Efforts To Increase Its Sustainability

RIVERDALE, N.Y. – Manhattan College has announced a presidential proclamation declaring the College’s intent to take all feasible steps to increase its sustainability while ensuring that “going green” issues are a factor in all future major decisions, policies and contracts. The proclamation has the concurrence of Manhattan’s council of vice presidents and the executive committee of the board of trustees.

To further this mission, the College has signed on to New York City’s 30-in-10 initiative and has become a member of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), an association of colleges and universities in the United States and Canada working to create a sustainable future.

“I hereby declare that Manhattan College shall strive to take all feasible steps to increase its sustainability and to decrease its eco-footprint,” declares Brother Thomas Scanlan, president of the College. “Further, I request every member of our College community to review his/her own eco-habits and make appropriate improvements. And lastly, I request that environmental stewardship be an important component of each student’s education. Striving to be a green campus is our common goal.

“For the College, this proclamation requires that sustainability will be a criterion in the formulation of all major decisions, policies and contracts; as well as in the College’s strategic planning and construction projects. Furthermore, this shall be done to the maximum extent feasible, that is, determination of the projected impact both on the College’s own eco-footprint and on the global environment; affordability, including initial investment versus rate of savings; real versus redistributed reductions (e.g., offsets) etc., shall be incorporated into the overall cost/benefit analysis.”

Manhattan College has already implemented numerous “going green” measures, including:

• For more than 40 years, the College has conducted a nationally recognized Master’s program in Environmental Engineering and has offered an environmental concentration option in the undergraduate civil engineering major since 1939. The faculty’s advanced research, especially in water quality, has contributed to improvements in the Hudson River, New York Harbor, Long Island Sound and elsewhere.

• Planted a significant number of new trees.

• Increased energy efficiency of College vehicles.

• Promotes transportation alternatives, such as carpooling, biking and public transit.

• Conducts extensive recycling.

• Installed motion sensors to turn on/off classroom and public space lighting.

• Thermostat controls are reset higher in summer during unoccupied periods.

• Have replaced light fixtures/bulbs with more energy efficient ones.

• Installed an energy management computer control system.

• East Hill Residence Hall’s air conditioning units utilize nonozone depleting refrigerants.

For a complete list of “green” measures implemented by the College, please contact Scott Silversten, assistant director of college relations for communications, at (718) 862-7232 or e-mail scott.silversten@manhattan.edu. Dr. Kevin Farley, associate professor of environmental engineering, is available to answer questions about the College’s “green” initiatives and can be reached at (718) 862-7383 or
kevin.farley@manhattan.edu.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s 30-in-10 challenge comes under PlaNYC, a sustainability plan launched on Earth Day 2007 aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions citywide by 30 percent by 2030. Leading New York universities have joined the more aggressive 30-in-10 commitment to reduce greenhouse gases by 30 percent by 2017.

The city's first-ever carbon emissions inventory found that energy use in buildings accounts for almost 80 percent of the city’s overall emissions and of that, 18 percent is from governmental and institutional buildings. By accepting the challenge, the higher education institutions are leading by example in helping to make a sizable dent in the city's overall emissions.

AASHE was founded in 2006 with a mission to promote sustainability in all sectors of higher education – from governance and operations to curriculum and outreach – through education, communication, research and professional development. It aims to advance the efforts of the entire campus sustainability community by uniting diverse initiatives and connecting practitioners to resources and professional development opportunities.

Founded in 1853, Manhattan College is an independent, Catholic, coeducational institution of higher learning offering more than 40 major programs of undergraduate study in the areas of arts, business, education, engineering and science, along with graduate programs in education and engineering. For more information about Manhattan College, visit www.manhattan.edu.