Dickinson College to Host Higher Education Climate Change Summit

CARLISLE, Pa., September 27, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- On Oct. 5, 2019, Dickinson College and the global conservation organization Rare will co-host a national higher education summit focused on developing new ways colleges and universities can take action against climate change starting on their own campuses. BE.Hive on Campus: Climate Change Needs Behavior Change (BE for Behavior and Environment) will convene more than 300 individuals— students, faculty and campus changemakers from 38 colleges and universities together with leaders in business and conservation—to explore proven and promising solutions to motivating climate-friendly habits and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Speakers at BE.Hive on Campus include:

•     Pat Brown, CEO and Founder of Impossible Foods
•     Margee M. Ensign, President of Dickinson College
•     Avi Garbow, Environmental Advocate for Patagonia; Obama EPA official
•     Wanjiku Gatheru, Environmental Advocate and University of Connecticut student
•     Christopher Graves, Ogilvy Center for Behavioral Science
•     Blake Lawrence, Marketing Manager at Cool Effect
•     Neil Leary, Director, Center for Sustainability Education at Dickinson College
•     Adam Seth Levine, Associate Professor at Cornell University
•     Tim Ma, Executive Chef of American Son
•     Ravi Patel, Actor and Comedian (emcee)
•     Kavita Shukla, Founder & CEO of The FRESHGLOW Co.
•     Zachary Walker, Student Leader, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
•     Ashley Whillans, Assistant Professor at Harvard Business School
•     Erez Yoeli, Co-Director of the Applied Cooperation Team and Research Scientist, MIT
•     Meghan Fay Zahniser, Executive Director of the AASHE

In addition to ignite talks and presentations, the summit will also feature an electric vehicle demonstration, career fair and a Behavior-Centered Design Challenge, when teams will design a solution for a sustainability-related problem. Finalists will pitch their solution to a panel of experts on stage with a chance to win $1,500. The summit is modeled on a BE.Hive summit Rare hosted in March 2019 at National Geographic in Washington, D.C.

Rare is a global leader in the use of behavior change within conservation and development. Dickinson is a nationally recognized leader in sustainability education and sustainable campus operations. In 2007, Dickinson became one of the first 20 colleges in the country to sign The Presidents' Climate Leadership Commitment, or Carbon Commitment. Nearly 800 colleges followed suit. Dickinson will achieve its goal to be carbon neutral in 2020.

"Dickinson is proud to host this important summit and convene socially responsible corporations and colleges and universities across the U.S. that are committed to climate action," said Dickinson College President Margee M. Ensign, a featured speaker at the event. "For decades, institutions of higher education like Dickinson have been taking action against climate change and educating our future leaders to be knowledgeable and innovative in social, economic and environmental sustainability. We're excited to partner with Rare—a true pioneer in applying behavioral solutions to the climate crisis—to facilitate dialogue around this critical issue."

"College campuses bring together the energy and urgency of young people with groundbreaking research, making them the ideal place for sparking solutions to the climate crisis," said Brett Jenks, president and CEO of Rare. "With a focus on solutions, BE.Hive on Campus will inspire attendees to put their own campus community at the forefront of U.S. efforts to curb climate change."

ABOUT RARE
A 4-star Charity Navigator-ranked NGO, Rare is a leader in using behavior change to achieve conservation and development goals globally. Rare inspires people to take pride in the natural resources that make their communities unique, while also introducing practical alternatives to environmentally destructive practices. Rare has worked in over 400 communities in 56 countries to deliver community-based solutions based on natural and social science, while leveraging policy and market forces to accelerate positive environmental change. Rare then works to scale that impact to help deliver the same kind of change around the globe. Learn more at rare.org.

ABOUT DICKINSON COLLEGE
Dickinson is a nationally recognized liberal-arts college chartered in 1783 in Carlisle, Pa. The highly selective college is home to 2,400 students from across the nation and around the world. Defining characteristics of a Dickinson education include a focus on global education―at home and abroad―and study of the environment and sustainability, which is integrated into the curriculum and the campus and exemplifies the college's commitment to providing an education for the common good. http://www.dickinson.edu

SOURCE Dickinson College