Message From the President

Dear University Community and Friends,

As we prepare our students for lives of leadership and service, we recognize that climate change and other environmental issues will be among the most pressing challenges they will face. In our classrooms, through research opportunities, and by demonstrating environmental stewardship in the University's operations, Richmond is preparing students to meet those challenges.

In the Robert R. Merhige, Jr. Center for Environmental Studies in the law school and in departments in Arts & Sciences, the Robins School of Business, the Jepson School of Leadership Studies, and the University's School of Continuing Studies, outstanding faculty offer students the opportunity to study the science, the law, the economics, and the cultural and political aspects of environmental challenges. Through the Center for Civic Engagement and the Career Development Center, students find environmental internships and careers.

In the University's architecture and operations, we model the environmental ideas that students learn in the classroom. Weinstein Hall, completed in 2003, was Central Virginia's first LEED-certified building, and the University has committed that all new construction will be designed to meet LEED-Silver standards. Every year, the University saves 28 percent of its waste from going to landfill through recycling and reusing. Heilman Dining Center has been named a Virginia Green Restaurant for its sustainability efforts. In our Living Learning Community, Earth Lodge, interested students live together and take classes on the environment in Lakeview Hall, which was designed using LEED standards and is currently seeking certification. 

In 2007 I signed the President's Climate Commitment (PCC), affirming the University's longstanding history of innovative sustainability efforts. With the implementation of the PCC and in cooperation with organizations like the Association for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, we are well on our way to being a more sustainable, environmentally friendly university. However, it is up to us as University community members to ensure that we become better environmental stewards every day.

I challenge us all to make a commitment to our community and our environment at large. In a partnership with Dominion Virginia Power, we have created a residence hall challenge to see who can conserve the most energy. There are several other ways that you can take action as well, from joining one of our many environmental campus groups to submitting an idea to changing some of your everyday habits. In any case, here is the place to start. Use this Web site to learn more about our sustainability initiatives and how you can make a difference.

I look forward to working with you.

   
Best,

Edward L. Ayers