As a leading school of art, design and architecture, Pratt is uniquely poised to develop creative responses to the major environmental challenges facing our society. The professional practices over the next 20 years of those who are now students of design will play a major role in determining whether recent innovations such as carbon-neutral buildings, design for recycling, and fabrication and construction processes that minimize waste and energy consumption become common practice in the United States. I join the committed faculty and student members of Sustainable Pratt in celebrating the Institute's accomplishments to date and look forward to working with them to integrate sustainability principles fully into curricula and campus operations.
The Academic Senate is honored to continue its support of sustainability and green campus issues, tangibly manifested in the all-institute Sustainable Pratt group of faculty, students and staff. In September 2004, the Senate's Faculty Focus Group recommended the following to Pratt Institute's five-year Strategic Plan.
Sustainability and Green Campus issues should be an integral part of the institute's Strategic Planning process. Pratt should examine its institutional position and role regarding these issues, and consider the following:
1. begin thinking about our ecological impact on the planet
2. move beyond compliance, toward a responsible and proactive mindset
3. have a "Sustainability" or "Green Campuses' faculty representative on every committee that addresses strategic planning, construction, building, procurement, etc."
With the backdrop of PRATT's lovely rose and sculpture gardens, Mayor Bloomberg and officials from nine local Universities announced their intent to become 2030 Challenge Partners. By doing so, they commit to exceed PlaNYC 2030 Emissions Reductions Goal and reduce carbon dioxide emissions 30% by 2017. Each University has agreed to create their own greenhouse gas inventories and devise a plan for achieving the reductions.