Maine's colleges and universities are launching a new, joint effort to share resources in addressing climate change on their campuses and in their local communities.
The new project, called "Maine Campuses Won't Wait," was launched on Wednesday at a virtual summit with Gov. Janet Mills and representatives from nearly all of the colleges in the state.
St. Joseph's College President Jim Dlugos said higher education institutions came together two years ago to create a school reopening plan in the midst of the early stages of the pandemic. He views the long-term threat of climate change as just as big a challenge — one that will require schools to work together and engage with their students on the issue.
"So how do we work together to bring peoples' awareness to where it needs to be, and drive the work of addressing climate change?" Dlugos said.
Much of Wednesday's initial meeting was devoted to colleges sharing information about their existing climate efforts, from reducing emissions on their campus to finding new ways to embed climate change within the curriculum.
Hannah Pingree, the director of the state's Office of Policy Innovation and the Future, highlighted efforts by Bangor-based Husson University and the University of Maine at Orono to work with local municipalities on a regional climate action plan. She said a new state program will support that process in other communities around Maine.
"We know that every one of the colleges and universities in the state of Maine is really deeply embedded in your community. You have a lot of resources, you have student energy. So we want you to think about, if there are ways that you can partner with your towns to advance these efforts," Pingree said.
Representatives from each college will continue to meet in the months ahead, where they'll analyze what climate efforts, research and partnerships are already ongoing at each campus, then look for ways to collaborate.
