Supporting the ACUPCC
through the
National Teach-In on Global Warming Solutions
Download a pdf of this document here.
Congratulations! And thank you for taking action to create solutions to global warming through the National Teach-In! You’ve established yourself as a leader on campus – now one of the most important, immediate steps you can take as a part of your Teach-In activities is to support the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) on your campus. If your institution is among the more than 600 that have already signed the Commitment, skip down to Option B. If you’re not sure, check the list of signatories (www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org/html/list_school.php).
Option A
Encouraging Your President to Sign the ACUPCC
If your college or university has not yet signed the ACUPCC, your leadership as students, faculty, staff, and other members of the campus community is critical. The ACUPCC is a powerful collective action, through which schools are role-modeling solutions to global warming (turning campuses into learning laboratories in the process) and promoting the education and research necessary to enable the rest of society follow suit.
Step 1 – Do some research
- Ask around, and search for articles about the ACUPCC in your school’s newspaper, to see if your president has given any indication of his or her position on signing.
- Familiarize yourself with the ACUPCC and review the resources available on the website, including letter templates, campaign outlines, and examples of successful student campaigns (www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org/ambassadors).
Step 2 – Make contact & Send an invitation for the National Teach-In
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Write a letter to your president, inviting him or her to attend Teach-In sessions on February 5th, 2009. Get as many people to sign on to it as possible – students, faculty, staff, alumni, trustees – the more support the president has, the more comfortable he or she will feel in signing.
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Set up a meeting and present your case – oftentimes, a well-organized, well-presented articulation of why the institution should sign the ACUPCC can have a powerful impact on a president’s decision (especially when it comes from students). This can happen before the Teach-In or on the day itself.
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Keep it positive! The intent of the ACUPCC is to foster collaboration and learning around solutions to global warming – in general it is much more effective to approach your president from this perspective.
Step 3 – Follow through
- College and university presidents are busy people – but they also appreciate the fact that at the end of the day their work is to support learning and knowledge creation within their communities – so the voices of students, faculty, and staff are influential.
- Seek a firm commitment to sign the ACUPCC on February 5th, but if that’s not possible, get on the president’s schedule for a follow-up meeting later in the month with a target of signing the ACUPCC by Earth Day – April 22, 2009.
Option B
Supporting Your Institution in Implementing the ACUPCC
If your president has signed the ACUPCC on behalf of you institution, your efforts will be key to successful implementation. Signing the Commitment, while critically important, is in many ways an early step in a long process. The National Teach-In on February 5th, 2009, is a great opportunity to show your appreciation and support for institution’s participation in the ACUPCC – and a great opportunity to learn more about what you can do ensure success.
Step 1 – Show your Support & Attract Attention
- The willingness to make this commitment and report publicly on progress towards the goal of climate neutrality is a great demonstration of leadership – show your support and appreciation of your president’s leadership by presenting him or her with a certificate at a ceremony on February 5th. It’s a great way to get your president involved in the day, and to maintain focus on implementing the Commitment. A customizable certificate to print and present is available for download here.
- Invite some local press to the event and/or send an op-ed to the school newspaper. Any way to promote dialogue and awareness on these critical issues is important for effective implementation.
Step 2 – Roll-up Your Sleeves
Step 3 – Keep Building the Momentum
- Once efforts are underway on your campus, continue to invite more people into the process to learn about the challenges, and understand their role in creating the solutions.
- The National Teach-In, Earth Day, Campus Sustainability Day, and other events represent great opportunities to engage with your local community, elected representatives, businesses, and civic groups to create new ways of working across boundaries to employ global warming solutions.
QUESTIONS?
If you are organizing an event at a school that has not yet signed the ACUPCC, contact:
Georges Dyer at gdyer@secondnature.org
If you are organizing an event at a school that has already signed, contact:
Toni Nelson at toni@aashe.org
If you have general questions about the National Teach-In, visit:
http://nationalteachin.org/contact.php
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