Pursuing Green Power Solutions

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff,

I recently attended a workshop for college presidents in Aspen, Colorado. While on a lunch break, I took a few minutes to walk through the aspen trees where I took a few pictures of the new spring leaves. My walk reminded me of a poem by poet laureate Ada Limon, titled “Instructions on Not Giving Up,” which was recently featured in The New York Times.

This past week, I’ve been thinking about the responsibility the Harvey Mudd College community shares in the global effort to address climate change; something that resonates today as we recognize Earth Day 2026. At Harvey Mudd, our commitment to addressing the climate and sustainability challenges facing our world is not a new endeavor; rather, it represents an ongoing priority of the College and an important goal in our STEM for a Better World strategic plan.

Advancing Climate Education
We are combining our expertise in the sciences, engineering and mathematics with Harvey Mudd’s unique, human-centered approach to advancing environmental education and stewardship of our natural resources. By growing our faculty and developing new joint major programs that pair STEM disciplines with climate science, we can ensure that every Mudder—regardless of their preferred major—graduates with the interdisciplinary tools they need to create solutions to the climate crisis facing our world. Finding investors who will support our vision is a key component of our upcoming comprehensive fundraising campaign.

Investing in Campus Sustainability
Beyond the classroom, we are also dedicated to embedding sustainability into our daily operations. Our campus serves as a living laboratory for these efforts, some of which include:

Renewable Energy: We are nearing the completion of a second photovoltaic system that will bring our total solar capacity to approximately 1.125 MW, significantly reducing our reliance on utility-provided electricity.

Water Resilience: Our facilities team recently upgraded to a precise master irrigation controller that optimizes water usage based on local landscape data and weather conditions.

Healthy Infrastructure: Future campus developments, including our new academic building, will be designed according to “healthy building” principles to reduce our long-term environmental footprint.

 Pursuing Green Power Solutions
In addition to these projects, The Claremont Colleges are finalizing an agreement with the Clean Power Alliance (CPA) to transition to 100% Green Power. This project reflects a deep collaboration between students, faculty and the administrations on our campuses and is the result of months of negotiations—as well as the advocacy work of the 5C Environmental Justice (5CEJ) student organization. By moving to the CPA’s 100% renewable energy portfolio—which includes solar, wind, geothermal, and hydroelectric power generation—we can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and accelerate progress toward carbon neutrality. We are excited to be advancing our strategic goals around climate and sustainability through this effort.

In closing, I want to thank our wonderful team in Facilities and Maintenance as well as the faculty and staff in the Hixon Center for Climate and the Environment, along with the many students, faculty and staff whose research and advocacy are advancing the College’s efforts in these important areas. Your work and dedication help ensure that Harvey Mudd remains a place where scientific discovery and environmental responsibility complement each other. Together, I am confident that we can continue to shape the brighter, more sustainable future we all know is possible.

Sincerely,

Harriet B. Nembhard
President, Harvey Mudd College