Boston University
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination

Boston University's Sustainability Committee was established in 2008 with a Steering Committee and four working groups. After developing recommendations to integrated sustainability strategies into the structure and operations of the University, and seeing them integrated, the Sustainability Committee was no longer necessary and was discontinued. The Communications & Outreach Working Group, however, has continued to meet on a monthly basis, as these needs are constantly evolving. At the direction of the Board of Trustees in 2016, the University has now embarked on the development of a Climate Action Plan. On National Campus Sustainability Day 2014 BU announced it intended to sell its 2012 carbon reductions through the Chevrolet Campus Clean Energy Campaign. Chevrolet retired the carbon credits and the proceeds went into the University's Sustainability Revolving Loan Fund. BU is highlighted for transportation in The Princeton Review’s Guide to Green Colleges: 2016 Edition. Mayor Thomas M. Menino announced the 2013 Greenovate Boston Award winners at Boston University’s Center for Student Services. There were 18 award winners in total including 13 business, three residential and two sustainable food leaders. These winners were selected for their impressive sustainability achievements and commitment to Greenovating Boston. In 2016 Boston Univesity received another Greenovate Boston Award for its efforts to prepare it campuses for the impacts from climate change. The Goodwill Not Landfill program won a third-place Excellence Award from NASPA (Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education), an advocacy and development group of administrators from 1,400 campuses worldwide. In 2015 two undergraduate student sustainability leaders represented Boston University at the White House for the American Campuses Act on Climate Pledge.

The Sustainability Committee was established in 2008 with a mission to advise the University leadership on matters pertaining to the campus environment and sustainability and included three central goals: 1. Advance sustainable practices on campus to make sustainability integral to the fabric of Boston University 2. Engage the campus in an ongoing dialogue about sustainability and enhance communications across all segments of the community 3. Instill a culture of sustainable long-term planning and forward-thinking The committee included a Steering Committee and four working groups. The Communications & Outreach Working Group continues to meet on a monthly basis, the other three working groups and Steering Committee discontinued regular meetings in 2013. In the fall of 2016, the Board of Trustees asked the University to form a Climate Action Plan Task Force to address climate mitigation and resilience.

The Climate Action Plan Task Force includes: Chair: Anthony Janetos, Director, Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future Sean Attri, Graduate Student, Questrom School of Business Mun Pan Aung, Graduate Student, School of Public Health Bridget Baker, Undergraduate Student, College of Arts & Sciences Dennis Carlberg, Director of Sustainability Madhu Dutta-Koehler, Associate Professor of the Professional Practice and Program Coordinator, City Planning and Urban Affairs, Metropolitan College Elijah Ercolino, Director of Building Automation Peter Fox-Penner, Director, Institute for Sustainable Energy, and Professor of Practice, Questrom School of Business Michael Gevelber, Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering Lucy Hutyra, Associate Professor, Department of Earth & Environment Robert Kaufmann, Professor of Earth & Environment Jonathan Levy, Professor, Environmental Health, School of Public Health Thomas Little, Associate Dean of Educational Initiatives, and Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering Jennifer Luebke, Associate Professor, Anatomy & Neurobiology, School of Medicine Nathan Phillips, Professor, Department of Earth & Environment Peter Smokowski, Vice President, Auxiliary Services Pamela Templer, Associate Professor, Department of Biology Benjamin Thompson, Graduate Student, College of Arts & Sciences

The sustainability@BU office is located within Facilities Management and Planning which provides critical access to ongoing collaboration opportunities within the University’s operational staff and infrastructure. The University employs three full time sustainability professionals, the Sustainability Director, the Assistant Director, and the Dining Services Sustainability Manager. In addition, student interns provide substantial support in communications and outreach, recycling, green building certification, green office certification, sustainability metrics tracking and reporting, and administrative support.

The Sustainability Director is responsible for developing and implementing a strategy to integrate sustainability principles into the operational functions of the University. He is responsible for ongoing execution, evolution, measurement, and reporting of the University’s sustainability strategy. Through communicating, informing and promoting these principles and programs throughout the University he acts as the campus spokesperson on sustainability, providing outreach to local and national organizations as well as funding agencies. The Assistant Director for Sustainability is responsible for engaging faculty, staff, and students in campus sustainability. Through existing programs and newly developed ones, she provides and supports training of faculty, staff and students. She serves as the primary contact person for all on-campus sustainability activities and contributes to strategy development and program implementation for sustainability@BU. The Sustainability Manager for Dining Services supports the department in serving the BU community wholesome, delicious food in the most sustainable manner through socially responsible procurement, energy efficient operations, and a comprehensive waste management program.