The Dartmouth Climate Collaborative Advisory Council—part of the Dartmouth Climate Collaborative announced this spring to address climate change and sustainability on campus and beyond—will hold its first meeting this summer.
“There are many groups on campus working on issues related to climate and sustainability,” says Council Co-Chair Laura Ogden, who is also leading the year-long Climate Futures Initiative that is identifying opportunities for Dartmouth to pursue climate scholarship and education locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. “This council is charged with taking a big-picture view of the entire ecosystem of climate work at Dartmouth and finding ways, collectively, to elevate that work and make connections that create greater impact.”
The council is forming as installation begins this month on the infrastructure that will enable Dartmouth’s campus to transition from steam to hot-water heating, powered by geo-exchange technology—work that is a crucial step toward realizing the Climate Collaborative’s goal of reducing carbon emissions on campus by 60% by 2030 and 100% by 2050.
The advisory council reports to Provost David Kotz ’86 and to Josh Keniston, senior vice president of capital planning and campus operations, and is made up of faculty, students, alumni, and a representative from the community group Sustainable Hanover. It will meet at least quarterly to provide feedback on Dartmouth’s climate and sustainability strategies and to help foster connections with groups across campus and with the Upper Valley community, alumni, and businesses.
“We want the council to be inclusive, transparent, and responsive to the community’s interests and needs,” says Co-Chair Rosi Kerr ’97, director of the Sustainability Office, who says that, among other activities, the group is planning to run focus groups with key constituencies as it begins its work over the summer.
In addition to Kerr and Ogden, council members are Bea Burack ’25; Judith Colla, from Sustainable Hanover; Dan Kalafatas ’96, an advisory board member of the Arthur L. Irving Institute for Energy and Society; Meredith Kelly, chair of the Department of Earth Sciences; Lindsay Lu ’26; Justin Mankin, associate professor of geography; Geoffrey Parker, professor of engineering and interim director of the Irving Institute; John Sterman ’77, volunteer leader of Dartmouth’s Our Green Future 2.0 and a professor of management at MIT’s Sloan School of Management; Hilary Tompkins ’90, member of the Dartmouth Board of Trustees and a partner with Hogan Lovells; and a graduate student representative to be named.
