University President Jehuda Reinharz signed the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment last Wednesday, signifying a pledge to reduce Brandeis' greenhouse gas emissions.The Commitment, a national initiative coordinated in part by the environmental organizations Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, ecoAmerica and Second Nature, outlines a timeline by which colleges will gradually eliminate greenhouse gases on campus.

Four members of Students for Environmental Action presented Reinharz with the signatures of more than 500 undergraduate students in support of the Commitment.

"We want to get going with [the Commitment] now to ensure that we follow the framework and do things ahead of the timeline," SEA co-President Jamie Pottern '09 said.

Reinharz didn't respond to e-mail requests for comment.

Four-hundred universities have signed the pledge already, including the University of Massachusetts at Boston, Oberlin College and the University of Pennsylvania, according to the ACUP's Web site.

"The best part of the Climate Commitment is that it signals to our community at Brandeis and the outside world that Brandeis cares about the environment," Prof Laura Goldin (EVTL) said.

The Commitment calls for the University to create a plan for instituting carbon neutrality, defined on the American College and University Presidents' Web site as "minimizing greenhouse gas emissions as much as possible, and using carbon offsets or other measures to mitigate the remaining emissions," within two months.

Pottern said Brandeis currently produces greenhouse gases from its central steam plant and from the local power grid from which the campus gets its electricity.

Within the next two years, Reinharz pledged to create a University plan for "becoming climate neutral" and develop strategies for tracking the University's progress. Within one year, he committed to producing an inventory of greenhouse gas emissions on campus.

Goldin explained that the University will accumulated more immediate costs by adhering to the Commitment, but said that if buildings are constructed according to the new environmental policy they will last longer and consume less energy, Brandeis will save money in the long run.

The pledge also includes an agreement to ensure all campus construction meets standards set by the United States Green Building Council, to only purchase appliances that are energy-efficient and to purchase or produce at least 15 percent of the University's electricity consumption from renewable sources, such as solar and wind energy.

The Schneider Center, recently added to the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, already utilizes materials that are more sustainable and less toxic, as well as natural light, Goldin said.

"Each generation of new buildings is becoming more and more green," she said.

The New England Wind Fund resolution passed last semester after students voted for it on a Student Union referendum. The resolution is part of an overall student initiative to promote clean wind energy in New England.

Other plans for SEA include getting Brandeis wind turbines, solar panels and a paid sustainability coordinator administrators can consult for advice on environmental issues, Pottern said.