The below mentioned Providence Journal article about Brown’s delegation to the Copenhagen climate summit also alludes to the University’s own program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Here is what Aron Buffen, a Ph.D. student in geology, told The Journal about these efforts:

Buffen said he is proud that Brown has already committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions to 42 percent of its 2007 levels (the same as 15 percent of 1990 levels) by 2020.

“This may sound ambitious compared to proposed legislation in the U.S. House and Senate –– which call for reducing national emissions by 17 percent and 20 percent respectively from 2005 levels by 2020 –– but Brown has already cut annual emissions 19 percent from 2007 levels. Quite impressive, I’d say,” Buffen wrote in an e-mail. …

“Brown’s pledge has been proposed from the top down,” Buffen added. He said he, Dagon and Severson are working on a plan to get every Brown student directly involved. The possibilities, he said, are exciting.

We would like to know  if these efforts truly saved energy and expenses. Or is this yet another case of the University using its scarce funds to advance a political cause?