We will embrace the goals of accountability and sustainability as individuals and as an institution of integrity and principle. We will state our goals clearly and communicate them to those both within and outside of our limestone walls. We will be accountable for the goals we set. We recognize that engaged global citizenship requires an awareness of, and respect for, the natural world that supports the social world. We also recognize that responsible citizenry requires the prudent use of resources of all types, physical and fiscal. Educating for sustainability requires a holistic approach to decision making which embodies liberal arts education and promotes an engaged community. The College must serve as a living example of sustainability in all arenas. We will always remember that Dickinson's future is our responsibility.

This Mission is taken directly from Dickinson College's Strategic Plan.

Dickinson has long been a bastion of sustainability, from the introduction of the Environmental Science Certificate Program in 1970 to the creation of the Sustainability Coordinator position in 2006. In 2008 Dickinson hired its first Director of the Center for Sustainability.

To learn more about student organizations at the College that are affiliated with sustainability, just visit the Related Links page!

To date , one of the most exciting institutionalized commitments to sustainability has been the adoption of the Commission on the Environment's Sustainability Proposal into the College’s Strategic Plan. Environmental sustainability and accountability is now a key part of what it means to be "Distinctly Dickinson!"

President Durden appointed a 23-member Sustainability Task Force—comprised of students, faculty and staff from all corners of campus—which met three times in October with the following goals

• To commit the College Community to a more sustainable future;
• To improve sustainability behaviors on campus – elevating Dickinson to the status of responsible consumer;
• To reduce pollution generated by the College;
• To preserve natural resources;
• To create meaningful real life living and learning moments for our community regarding sustainability;  
• To develop ideas and initiatives to reduce utility consumption and costs.

This Task Force presented a report to the President’s Staff that recommended the immediate adoption of multiple all-campus sustainability initiatives.  Although more than eighty sustainability ideas were identified, the general nature of these thoughts focused on simple, everyday behaviors: shutting off light fixtures when not in use, installing energy-efficient appliances, and most importantly, increasing sustainability education efforts at Dickinson to create a campus culture devoted to sustainability.

In September 2007 President William G. Durden signed the American Colleges and Universities Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). Since Dickinson College became a party to this commitment, it has become a core component of the college's sustainability program. This commitment requires that Dickinson College:

1. Develop a comprehensive plan to achieve climate neutrality
2. Initiate other tangible actions (such as requiring that newly constructed buildings be LEED Silver certified, purchasing or producing at least 15% of campus electricity from renewable sources, and participating in waste reduction programs like RecycleMania) before the comprehensive plan is developed
3. Providing the comprehensive plan, greenhouse gas inventory, and periodic reports to the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)

The college has worked diligently to meet and exceed the expectations this commitment.