Release date: June 26, 2007
Contact: David Payne at 404-727-0996 or dpayne2@emory.edu

Emory Hosts EPA’s Regional Audit Agreement Ceremony

Emory University will host the Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 4 Audit Agreement Signing Ceremony on Monday, June 25. The Agreement will encourage higher education institutions in the Southeast to conduct voluntary environmental self-audits on their campuses.

In addition to Emory, many private colleges and universities in the EPA Region 4 states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee, and two public universities in Alabama, have voluntarily agreed to work with the EPA and conduct self-audits over the next two-year period.

The EPA regulates higher education institutions as well as business, industry and government facilities. In early 2007, Region 4 launched a College and University Compliance Incentive Initiative to encourage these institutions to conduct voluntary environmental self-audits. EPA’s Audit Policy provides incentives for regulated entities that voluntarily discover, promptly disclose and expeditiously improve compliance with environmental laws and regulations. Self audits also help identify new opportunities for conservation and encourage sharing best practices among institutions.

“Emory is honored to host this event as the EPA works with Southeastern colleges and universities to ensure environmental compliance,” says Emory President James Wagner. “Emory’s enthusiastic and steadfast commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainability are integral to our mission. They represent the foundation of a healthy environment for teaching, learning and living at Emory. We look forward to working with the EPA to support their greater environmental goals.”

“Colleges and universities are part of EPA’s regulated community, and often share the same regulatory responsibilities and experience similar environmental challenges as private industry and other government facilities,” said EPA Regional Administrator Jimmy Palmer. “Through this compliance initiative, the voluntary self audits will help identify opportunities to solve many of their environmental challenges and save money over the long term.”

“Emory University’s vision is to be an educational model for other universities and communities as they promote their own healthy and sustainable living,” said Ciannat Howett, director of Sustainability Initiatives at Emory. “Given the dynamics in the Southeast with a growing population and increasing public health and economic concerns about the environmental impact of this growth, universities in our region have a special opportunity to lead in making the educational, social, economic and cultural changes necessary to preserve a high quality of life for current and future generations.”

The signing ceremony is scheduled for June 25 at 1 p.m. at Emory’s Goizueta School of Business, Room W525. Refreshments will be served at 1 p.m. with the program beginning at 1:30 p.m. Mike Mandl, Emory University’s Executive Vice President, will sign on behalf of Emory.

Emory has more certified green building by square footage than any other university in the country. The building where this event will be held, Emory’s Goizueta School of Business, is an example of Emory’s environmentally sensitive “green” construction on campus.

Emory University is one of the nation's leading private research universities and a member of the Association of American Universities. Known for its demanding academics, outstanding undergraduate college of arts and sciences, highly ranked professional schools and state-of-the-art research facilities, Emory is ranked as one of the country's top 20 national universities by U.S. News & World Report. In addition to its nine schools, the university encompasses The Carter Center, Yerkes National Primate Research Center and Emory Healthcare, the state's largest and most comprehensive health care system.

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