Stanford Seniors now have the opportunity to voice their commitment to environmental stewardship after graduation through the 2008 grad pledge. The online pledge, which is sponsored by the Stanford Students for Sustainability (SSS), is part of a national graduation pledge movement intended to remind students of their responsibility to the world as they embark on their future careers.

“I pledge to explore and take into account the social and environmental consequences of any job I consider, and I will try to improve these aspects of any organizations for which I work,” reads the online pledge, which can be signed at http://sustainability.stanford.edu/pledge.html.

According to pledge coordinator Sarah Rizk ‘08, the pledge is an opportunity for graduating seniors to make a statement about their commitment to creating a sustainable future. Rizk said the statement has symbolic value and reminds seniors that the decisions they make in their careers can have an enormous environmental impact.

“I think it reinforces the values that students already have,” Rizk said. “I think that it reminds them of the social responsibility they have as a cognizant citizen leaving Stanford University.”

According to Rizk, the pledge was started in 2002 by a student as the culminating project of a class held by environmental group Acterra. Because the pledge is part of the broader national graduation pledge movement, SSS is not involved in the actual writing of the pledge. Past year’s pledges, which are available on the Web site, have been significantly longer, enumerating specific points about what students can do to promote environmental sustainability.

Three-year SSS member Carolyn Mansfield ‘08, who is also involved with the pledge, said involvement with the national movement aims to show solidarity across college campuses.

“We are not involved in the network in an active way,” Mansfield said. “We’re plugging into the general sentiment on college campuses.”

Student response to the pledge has been strong. According to Rizk, more than 100 students signed when the list was first posted online. Mansfield said awareness of the pledge was spread mainly through word of mouth and email lists.

Ming Zhi ‘08 said signing the pledge was important because he sees the environment as one of the top priorities of the current generation.

“Students being educated for four years at Stanford have this responsibility to take care of the environment and protect it for future generations,” Zhi said.

Mansfield said that, in addition to the pledge, SSS is handing out green ribbons to graduates that can be pinned to their graduation gowns. Students can also leave personal statements and affirmations to uphold the pledge.

“The ribbon symbol is one of commitment to a cause,” Mansfield said. “More than being an achievement, it’s something that’s aiming towards the future.”