In February, 2008, on behalf of UMBI, President Jennie Hunter-Cevera signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), joining hundreds of colleges across the nation. This Climate Pledge is a national effort to encourage institutions of higher learning to help in solving the global warming crisis. Every school that signs the Pledge agrees to adopt certain environmentally sustainable programs, conduct an inventory of the greenhouse gas emissions from its particular campus, and develop a Climate Action Plan describing how it will eventually become "carbon neutral". A core committee was established to implement the Pledge at UMBI, and move the process along. Centers are now completing their emissions inventory (due 2009), and UMBI has until 2010 to prepare its Climate Action Plan. In related actions, Governor O'Malley has requested that all Maryland state agencies and departments reduce their energy consumption by 10%.

You can find more information about the Climate Pledge on the ACUPCC site, at: http://www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org/index.php.