The College Opportunity and Affordability Act (H.R. 4137) passed by the House contains two measures that could significantly spur sustainability practices at colleges and universities across the country. The new legislation creates a grant program to help colleges and universities design and implement sustainable practices, and calls for the first-ever higher education summit on sustainability.

Under the new legislation, Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings would be required to convene a summit of higher education experts, federal government agencies, and business and industry leaders, no later than September 30 of this year. The summit would: encourage faculty, staff, and students to establish administrative and academic sustainability programs on campus; enhance research in sustainability practices and innovations; encourage cooperative programs in the community and workplace; and charge participants to submit a set of recommendations for addressing sustainability through institutions of higher education.

The Sustainability Planning Grants, as defined by the bill, would make matching funds available for programs to design and implement sustainability practices in the areas of greenhouse gas emissions reductions, green building, waste management, purchasing, transportation, and other aspects of sustainability that integrate campus operations with multidisciplinary academic programs.

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