In the Fall of 1996, the All College Meeting formally approved the following Campus Environmental Initiative as college policy. The mission of College of the Atlantic's Campus Environmental Initiative is to prioritize an environmental responsibility into all policies, programs and practices. The Initiative will directly stimulate the development of projects that enhance the sustainability of both the educational and physical landscape.

The core of the initiative is a strategic plan for staff, faculty and students. The plan identifies aspects of management where resources are not environmentally and economically efficient. In such areas, community members will work to implement more sustainable alternatives. The Campus Environmental Initiative aims to  teach all community members about local and low-impact living and operating and to develop COA into a showcase of sustainability. The success of the Initiative will be evaluated periodically through environmental audits that evaluate its progress in achieving the following goals and commitments:

COA is committed to:
1. Instituting environmentally and socially responsible purchasing policies.
2. Reducing campus waste.
3. The maximization of energy efficiency and to using sustainable energy sources.
4. Enhancing sustainability in land-use and building planning.
5. Encouraging low fossil-fuel transport.
6. Providing curricular opportunities of study of campus and local environmental issues.
7. Utilizing regional and organic food sources.
8. Environmentally and socially responsible development and investment.
9. Green public outreach.
10. Enabling access of tools for sustainability.
11. A physical infrastructure, institutional practices and personal behaviors that will foster public health.