The American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment requires that signatories inventory their campus GHG emissions within the first year, and now that more than 500 schools have signed, many have in-depth reports of campus energy requirements that can be compared to each other and used as a baseline for reductions.

In the same spirit, The Climate Registry was established to measure and publicly report greenhouse gas emissions in an accurate and transparent manner consistent across industry sectors. The Manoa campus of the University of Hawai'i recently became the first university in the country to become a member of the non-profit organization, and will soon submit reports of its emissions. The 20,000 student campus has committed to slashing its energy usage 30 percent by 2012, and by 2020 will power about a quarter of the campus on renewable energy sources. The effort is spurred by the university's Manoa Climate Change Commission, which seeks a greener UHM and a more sustainable Hawai'i.

U. Hawai'i at Manoa joins six other schools (Cornell University, Syracuse University, Davidson College, Vermont Technical College, Saint Olaf College and Northland College) as well as more than 75 corporations, non-profits, cities, counties and tribes as a founding member of the Climate Registry. The measurement system is based on the standards set by the World Resource Institute and the World Bank Council for Sustainable Development. First reports are expected to be live summer 2008.

Image: UHM Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw and students planting a dozen trees on campus as part of GHG emissions reduction efforts.