Whitman College Magazine Winter 2021

ON BOYER AVENUE
PHOTO BY GREG LEHMAN
The future
is theirs!
Whitman
students
are actively
engaged
with climate
change,
sustainability
and environmentalism.
SUSTAINABILITY
Whitman College
Commits to Being ‘All In’
on Climate Action
In late 2020, as the Paris Agreement
entered its fifth year, myriad U.S. communities,
businesses and institutions joined
together to reaffirm their promise to address
climate change.
President Kathleen Murray signed
the America Is All In statement, assuring
Whitman’s commitment to the Paris
Agreement on climate change and pledging
to partner with the Biden-Harris administration
to tackle the climate crisis.
The Paris Agreement, a legally-binding
international treaty on climate change, aims
to limit global warming by reducing greenhouse
gas emissions. In 2017, in response to
the pending withdrawal of the U.S. from the
Paris Agreement, the We Are Still In initiative
was launched. Whitman College was
one of the 410 colleges and universities
that signed the We Are Still In declaration.
Whitman has adopted a conscientious
commitment to sustainability and
climate action, says Campus Sustainability
Coordinator Elissa Brown. “Whitman’s
dedication to advancing sustainability,
particularly in recent years, is producing
measurable and meaningful results.”
The 2020 reaffirmation statement has
over 1,500 signatories including cities,
states, tribal nations, businesses, universities,
colleges, faith communities, health care
organizations and more.
A YOUTHFUL MOVEMENT
Whitman students are actively engaged
with climate change, sustainability and
environmentalism. On campus, groups
and organizations such as the Campus
Climate Coalition (CCC), the Glean Team,
the Organic Garden and the Environmental
Studies Interest House or “Outhouse’’ are
all focused on sustainable practices and
green thinking. The Associated Students
of Whitman College (ASWC) has a sustainability
committee that works to advocate
on behalf of students in regard to sustainability
programs, policies and initiatives
on campus.
In the local community, Whitman
CCC members lead the Cool the Schools
Initiative that promotes climate change
education in classrooms. Many students
are active with Sunrise Walla Walla, a
local chapter of a national organization,
the Sunrise Movement, which promotes
the Green New Deal with an emphasis on
youth-led climate activism.
GREEN IS THE COLOR
OF THE YEAR
The Princeton
Review placed
Whitman at
No. 9 on its list
of the 2021
Top 50 Green
Colleges.
Whitman ranked highest among
schools from the Pacific Northwest.
This ranking acknowledges the
college’s efforts to promote
sustainability and environmental
responsibility on and off campus.
4 / WHITMAN MAGAZINE