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SCB WALKS THE TALK ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS

SCB aims to set an example for all scientific and professional societies in taking responsibility for their environmental impacts. In 2007, SCB took the decisive step of taking responsibility for the greenhouse gas emissions related to our annual meeting [see SCB Newsletter 14(3):16]. An article printed in Science magazine on 5 October 2007, Greening the Meeting (Science 318:36), favorably noted SCB's position as the leader among scientific societies in this regard. We are especially proud that we are offsetting our emissions in a project that also directly benefits biological diversity (restoring a globally threatened biome) and alleviates local poverty (see http://www.conbio.org/projects/carbonoffset/carbon_offset_faq.cfm for pictures and details).

But we should and are doing more. At a meeting of SCB's Board of Governors in July, 2008, SCB President Georgina Mace created a new environmental footprint committee. The purpose of this committee will be to advise SCB how to fully offset all of its greenhouse gas emissions -- not just emissions from the annual meeting -- and to reduce the ecological footprint of all SCB operations, purchases, and activities. The committee will work with SCB's Executive Office (primarily housed in a small office building in Washington, D.C., with additional staff working remotely), Sections, and the Conference Committee to

-- Estimate the total greenhouse gas emissions, waste generated, and energy and resources consumed by all SCB activities, including global meetings, Section meetings, travel by SCB staff, office operations, and publications
-- Recommend actions to avoid and reduce such impacts
-- For impacts that we cannot (or choose not) to avoid, recommend offset strategies that best advance SCB's mission and values
-- Seek Board authorization for actions that would require significant investment
-- Annually report SCB's impacts and progress in reducing those impacts. This information will be posted on our Web site, presented to the Board, and reported in the SCB Newsletter.

This new committee seeks individuals with expertise in footprint analysis and life cycle analysis, green markets, and concepts such as additionality, leakage, and verifiability. If you have this expertise, we need you! The total workload will be about 20 hours per year, including several virtual meetings. SCB intends to continue our investment in our current offset project through at least 2010. If you would like to serve on the committee, please send a curriculum vitae and a short letter of interest to paul.beier@nau.edu.

Of course, voluntary offset efforts by a small organization are primarily symbolic. Real progress in reducing atmospheric carbon and adapting to irreversible changes will require major new policy instruments and collective action by nations. Under the capable leadership of SCB's Policy Director John Fitzgerald, SCB has made climate change its highest policy priority. SCB's actions speak loudly and will enhance our organization's ability to inform policy.

The environmental footprint initiative makes me proud to be part of SCB. I hope it does the same for you, and that you'll mention the initiative to potential members to demonstrate that SCB is about conservation as well as conversation.

Paul Beier, Interim Chair, Environmental Footprint Committee

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