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In addition to the trustee resolution requiring College of the Atlantic to become carbon neutral the trustees also passed another resolution: “At the request of the President, the Trustees of College of the Atlantic resolve to achieve 100% reliance on energy from renewable sources by 2015. Having already committed to meeting its electricity needs from wind power, the College of the Atlantic will endeavor to meet all of its needs for space and hot-water heating, and for transportation in College vehicles and vessels from renewable sources, such as bio-fuels, biomass, solar and environmentally-sound hydropower, including tidal and in-stream generation. Achieving this goal may involve making sound use of market mechanisms which promote the generation of renewable energy not directly consumed by College of the Atlantic.”

David Hales, COA’s fifth president, asked the Board of Trustees at their October meeting to commit the College to becoming carbon neutral. The trustees passed the following resolution:
“The Trustees of the College of the Atlantic shall avoid, reduce or offset all greenhouse gas emissions associated with the activities of the College. Activities covered by this policy include all on-campus energy use, transportation associated with academic programs, and transportation to and from campus by students, staff, faculty and other transportation made necessary by campus events. Emissions that cannot be avoided will be offset by investing in energy efficiency and renewable energy production in such a manner as to reduce actual emissions to the atmosphere in an amount that equals or exceeds emissions generated by College of the Atlantic activities. All offsets will be quantifiable and verifiable according to international standards and best practices.”
Fifteen months later, the college achieved this goal through the December 2007 purchase of carbon offsets for all emissions it could not avoid or reduce. Since then, the College has made energy efficiency improvements to campus buildings to reduce further its carbon footprint. It has also offset all carbon emissions since the first offset.

College of the Atlantic has stressed the importance of integrating global environmental issues into its curriculum since its founding in 1969. Human ecology is the only major offered for both undergraduate and graduate studies. COA does not have departments, instead organizing its academic offerings around three resource areas: Arts and Design; Sciences; and Human Studies. Courses that incorporate discussion of climate change fall either into Sciences or Human Studies, with current offerings being: Human Ecology Core, Climate Science, Global Environmental Politics: Theory and Practice, Practical Activism The Road to Copenhagen, Polar Ecology and Exploration, Ecological Economics, Sustainability, Hydropolitics, Environmental Law and Policy, International Wildlife Policy and Protected Areas, Left, Right and Future: Alternative Political Philosophies, Project-Based Class in Residential Windpower, Ecology and Natural History, 21st Century Entrepreneurship, Environmental History, and Environmental Issues in Developing Countries.
Other classes that are strongly influenced by climate change themes include: Communicating Science, Agroecology, Bryology, Ecology, Environmental Law, Evolution, GIS, Lichen Biology, Marine Policy, Salmon, independent studies, residencies, internships and senior projects.
The above courses offer a range of options to teach students “climate literacy” at a level they consider appropriate to their area of interest. For most, simply being engaged citizens means that a basic knowledge of climate change and its implications is necessary. Currently, this can be satisfied in a number of ways, but as “climate-literacy” is not explicitly a goal of the only mandatory class, Human Ecology Core, there is potential for some students to miss out. For students looking for deeper “climate literacy”, such as those seeking to become environmental experts or climate solution professionals, there are many courses available that cover the issues, though the curriculum is more heavily weighted towards human-side impacts and responses rather than the scientific aspects.

College of the Atlantic is not a research institution, but rather concentrates on education and providing experiential learning opportunities for students. The College has academic partnerships with several other institutions. It is a member of the Eco-League and also has articulation agreements with the University of Maine, Olin College of Engineering, SALT Institute for Documentary Studies, National Outdoor Leadership School, The Landing School of Boat Design, and Sea Education Association. Students seeking to pursue research related to climate change can take advantage of opportunities at these partnership institutions.

In developing the College’s Climate Action Plan, several committees were formed; one specifically addressed public communications about the College’s climate change program. Composed of students, this committee had a booth at the 2007 Earth Day annual event held by the College on campus. Approximately 1,000 people attend this Saturday event that is held from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. At the booth, the public were assisted by students in calculating their own carbon footprint. They also gave out compact fluorescent light bulbs. At the same event in 2008, students exchanged compact fluorescent light bulbs for incandescent bulbs brought by members of the public.
The Bar Harbor Whale Museum, supported by College of the Atlantic and run by COA alumni, offers a comprehensive examination of how the impact of climate change on the Earth’s oceans and currents magnifies the effects of climate change around the globe.
Students at College of the Atlantic are passionate about mitigating climate change. As youth delegates, they have attended the Conference of Parties meetings of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change held in Montreal, Kenya, Bali and Poland (COP 11-14). Fourteen students are already involved in studying and fundraising for the Copenhagen meetings (COP 15). Our students have served as youth leaders at these meetings, helping to organize U.S. students to be more effective youth diplomats, choosing policy foci, and networking internationally with other youth. Over the past five years, we have had several students hold national and international positions: one student served as the North American Youth Representative to the United Nations Environmental Programme; one student served on the U.S. delegation at a UN development meeting; other students have served as board members to environmental organizations in Africa.