Carbon-neutral by 2020
Bowdoin College has made a commitment to become carbon-neutral by the year 2020. This demonstration of the College's environmental stewardship is the embodiment of one of the College's fundamental principles—stated in the inaugural address by Joseph P. McKeen, Bowdoin's first president—"to count Nature a familiar acquaintance."
View the Blueprint for Carbon Neutrality
Community Discussion
Campus Implementation Plan
"To count Nature a familiar acquaintance..."
- Excerpt from the "Offer of the College"
Sustainability is more than an intellectual concept at Bowdoin. It is at the heart of our enduring commitment to “the common good.” Bowdoin is a place where students can make real inroads on the issues and problems facing our world through personal involvement that begins in classes and on campus, and spreads to the community and larger world.
Sustainability News
- 2009 Dorm Energy Conservation Competition Best Yet
- Joan Benoit Samuelson '79 Sets NYC Marathon Record
- President's Committee Achieves Preliminary Carbon Neutrality Plan
- Bowdoin's 350 Day a Success Despite Local Climate
- Tundra Is a Living Archive for Bowdoin Climate Scientist
Featured...
Our interdisciplinary curriculum challenges students to approach sustainability as scientists, artists, and scholars – and to make a positive impact with their own research and projects. Bowdoin’s unique location on the Maine coast offers a living laboratory for environmental exploration, and our centers for learning and research provide a connection among coastal, arctic, and environmental studies that is singular among undergraduate institutions.
- A 40 percent reduction in CO2 emissions
- Commitment to buy 100 percent Green Energy
- Dining Service managed organic gardens
- Sustainably designed building renovations
- LEED-certified residence halls with geothermal heating and recycled materials
- Bowdoin organic garden
- Eco-Service Day
- Composting and waste reduction programs
- Annual residence hall energy-conservation competition
- Give-and-Go, an annual sale of student belongings that raises thousands of dollars for local charities