Update: International Symposium on Energy and Environment
May 8th, 2007 by Vihar ShethPosted in Energy, Entertainment, Environment
Just two posts ago I wrote about an upcoming conference at Washington University in St. Louis. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch had an update in today’s paper called, “Universities see green at forum“, detailing some of the outcomes of the Symposium.
- Washington U. Chancellor Mark Wrighton said he plans to name a sustainability officer, put more resources toward bioenergy and clean combustion research, and make the environment a curriculum focus.
- The president of Fudan University in Shanghai, China, said he will speed the process of making its department of environmental science a full-fledged school.
- The head of National Taiwan University said he will quicken the pace to start an energy research institute.
- The leader of Yonsei University said he would redouble efforts to conserve energy and resources, pointing out that his school is one of the largest consumers of electricity and water in Seoul, Korea.
Those are just four of the many conclusions of the meeting of 20 Asian and Middle Eastern universities, including 12 university presidents. Chancellor Wrighton’s plan to name a sustainability officer for Washington University is great news. Every major institution, public or private, for-profit or not-for-profit, should have one. I see Chief Sustainability Officers (CSOs) becoming the new senior executive position at the world’s largest organizations. Just at Chief Technology Officers became prevalent in the late 1990’s, CSOs will help guide companies as the world demands more responsibility from corporations and institutions.
I commend Washington University for choosing to appoint someone as a sustainability officer. I hope the person is empowered to make real change at the University. I also hope increased sustainability leads to increased efficiency. The latter is seemingly inherent in the definition of the first but universities are notoriously “fat” institutions. Environmental sustainability will hopefully lead to cost savings that can be passed down to the students, who already overpay dramatically for education in the United States.
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