Babson College
PAE-4: Sustainability Plan

To oversee the development, planning, implementation and tracking of sustainability, the college established a Babson Sustainability Leadership Group (BSLG). This college-wide committee was responsible for accelerating sustainability on campus, and for doing much of the groundwork that is the foundation for this document. The BSLG comprises representatives from the institution’s faculty, and staff communities who work collaboratively in identifying opportunities, devising and implementing solutions, and tracking Babson’s performance relative to its goals and peers. They engage in a broad range of activities, including: the ongoing search for opportunities in energy and water conservation, investigating the purchasing and use of sustainable products, improving recycling and waste management, pursuing ways to reduce the impact of commuting and air travel, and integrating sustainability as a vital component of Babson’s curricula.

The BSLG includes representatives from the following major areas:

• Office of the Provost
• Facilities Management
• Human Resources
• Faculty
• Office of the President

Babson engaged GreenerU to build on the work of the Steering Committee and write this Sustainability and Climate Action Plan. The GreenerU team worked closely with College staff in drafting this plan. They have drawn extensively from content and analysis created for Babson by Aramark, and Sightlines LLC, and used information recently compiled by the Sustainability Office in response to both the Sustainable Endowments Institute Survey and the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education STARS survey. In addition, GreenerU received input from other parts of the Babson campus including Dining Services, the Lewis Institute and others.

The Sustainability Office has held town-hall meetings to discuss the plan and receive further input from the campus-wide community.

• Energy efficiency investments
• Invest in solar power generation
• Procurement of electricity from renewable sources
• Enhanced energy efficiency investment
• Improved vehicle fuel efficiency
• Purchase quality offsets
• Ongoing focus on shift toward a culture of sustainability
• Green planning and green building policies

- Reduction in GHG emissions Scopes 1, 2, and 3
- Waste diversion and reduction rates
- Green Cleaning product use
- Landscape practices
- Water reduction
- Sustainability course offerings
- Breadth and quality of co-curricular activities

Babson will continue to conduct an annual greenhouse gas inventory, which will serve as the ultimate indicator of progress toward climate neutrality. Additionally, Babson will update this plan every two years. The updates will include updates to actual greenhouse gas emissions based on Babson’s annual GHG inventory and discussions of progress on the specific actions outlined in this plan.