Founded in 1781 as one of America’s revolutionary colleges, Washington and Jefferson College (W&J) is a private liberal arts institution whose 1,500 students are dedicated to becoming people of “uncommon integrity, competence, and maturity who are effective lifelong learners and responsible citizens, and who are prepared to contribute substantially to the world in which they live”

Because of the opportunities and challenges presented by global climate change, today responsible citizens must be willing to reevaluate what the “good life” means, to learn new skills, and to consider societal needs over their own. To position the College and its students to fulfill their broadened responsibilities, in May 2008 W&J became a member of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, joining nearly 600 other colleges and universities that are educating their communities about climate change while moving towards zero net greenhouse gas emissions.

The College’s efforts to reduce its net greenhouse emissions to zero is founded upon the high degree of confidence among the climate science community that global warming is occurring, that it is largely due to human‐induced increases in greenhouse gas emissions, and that the welfare of the Earth’s inhabitants will be imperiled if global warming continues at the current rate of change.

Fully accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, W&J is a private, independent educational institution devoted to the training of men and women qualified for their tasks both in scholarship and in character.