Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 59.20
Liaison Elaine Durr
Submission Date Feb. 27, 2024

STARS v2.2

Elon University
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 1.00 Elaine Durr
Senior Director of Sustainability
Office of Sustainability
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Sustainability committee(s) 

Does the institution have at least one sustainability committee?:
Yes

The charter or mission statement of the committee(s) or a brief description of each committee's purview and activities:
Elon University’s Environmental Advisory Council is a standing Council whose members are appointed by the President. Members typically serve a two or three-year term but may be re-appointed. The role of the Council is to raise awareness of environmental issues and sustainable practices and promote environmental awareness. The Council may make recommendations to the President on new sustainability initiatives to undertake or improvements to current initiatives.

Members of each committee, including affiliations and role:
Environmental Advisory Council Membership (2023-2024)
Nicholas Bussberg, Assistant Professor of Statistics
Brooks Depro, Assistant Professor of Economics
Ginny Dudiak (Oberle), Associate Dean of Admissions
Elaine Durr, Senior Director of Sustainability, Chair
Valentina Echavarría, Student Class of 2024
Raymond Fletcher, Senior Director for Facilities Management
Kelly Harer, Associate Director of Sustainability for Education and Outreach
Nancy Harris, Associate Dean of Elon College and Associate Professor of Biology
Daniel Linares, Assistant Director for Experiential Learning and Outdoor Adventure
Scott Morrison, Associate Professor of Education, Faculty Fellow for Sustainability
Genevieve Nichols, Student Class of 2025
Patrick Noltemeyer, Chief of Staff and Secretary to the Board of Trustees, Associate Vice President
Kevan Schoonover McClelland, Lecturer in Biology
Eric Townsend, Assistant Vice President for Academic Communications

Sustainability office(s) 

Does the institution have at least one sustainability office that includes more than 1 full-time equivalent employee?:
Yes

A brief description of each sustainability office:
The Office of Sustainability's mission is to advance sustainability at Elon University by helping to streamline and improve university operations and developing and fostering educational programs. The Office works toward this mission by collaborating across the campus and overseeing and coordinating numerous sustainability programs and initiatives. Key areas of focus include: climate action - reducing greenhouse gas emissions toward carbon neutrality by 2037; sustainable operations - expanding identification and implementation of strategies that support sustainable operations; education - enhancing and expanding programs to educate students, faculty and staff about sustainability.
There are two full-time staff members in the Office: Senior Director of Sustainability and Associate Director of Sustainability for Education and Outreach.

Full-time equivalent of people employed in the sustainability office(s):
2

Sustainability officer(s) 

Does the institution have at least one sustainability officer?:
Yes

Name and title of each sustainability officer:
Elaine R. Durr, Senior Director of Sustainability

Institution-wide coordination 

Does the institution have a mechanism for broad sustainability coordination for the entire institution?:
Yes

A brief description of the activities and substantive accomplishments of the institution-wide coordinating body or officer during the previous three years:
Environmental Advisory Council
-Reviewed yearly GHG inventories
-Facilitated 2021 & 2023 Commuter Habit Survey
-Facilitated 2022 Sustainability Survey
-Provided input on sustainability initiatives (e.g., reporting, sustainable transportation, waste reduction, energy conservation, verified carbon offsets)
-Received updates on various sustainability efforts on campus, including the development process for the next campus wide Sustainability Master Plan
-Helped promote sustainability programs and events

Office of Sustainability
-Completed yearly GHG inventories
-Conducted 2021 & 2023 Commuter Habit Survey
-Conducted 2022 Sustainability Survey
-Completed STARS report
-Started the development process for the next campus wide Sustainability Master Plan
-Developed an Office of Sustainability Strategic Plan for 2030
-Facilitated Elon's participation in exploring large scale off campus solar options with other higher education institutions
-Completed a biennial university sustainability report for the Vice President for Finance and Administration and senior leadership
-Updated the sustainability course and research inventories
-Partnered with Facilities Management personnel on energy conservation/efficiency, waste reduction and alternative transportation initiatives
-Coordinated annual purchase of verified carbon offsets
-In partnership with the Global Education Center, managed the Carbon Neutral Global Engagement Initiative
-In partnership with Environmental Services, finalized a Waste Reduction Master Plan
-Developed and implemented a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Initiative for the Office of Sustainability
-Managed the Emergency Ride Home Program
-Increased collaboration across campus to expand sustainability awareness and engagement
-Created a Sustainable Alumni Speaker Series to give current students the opportunity to hear from alumni working in sustainability
-Created a NatureRX series to educate the campus community about the benefits of being outdoors
-Managed the Eco-Reps program
-Coordinated the Loy Farm tour program
-Developed, implemented and managed sustainability education and outreach programs (e.g., Earth Day Every Day, Campus Sustainability Week, Earth Week, etc.)
-Established a Sustainable Day of Service in partnership with the Kernodle Center for Civic Life
-Created and managed the Sustainability Employee Resource Group
-Promoted sustainability to the campus community through events, promotional materials and various forms of communication
-Worked with Faculty Fellow for Sustainability to promote academic sustainability programs and infuse sustainability across the curriculum
-Provided supervision for several student employees (Eco-Reps, Interns)
-Served as administrator for the car share program (until program closure in July 2023) and ride share program
-Maintained the Sustainability Projects Database
-Participated in the LEED certification process for construction projects

Optional Fields 

Job description (1st position)

Job title of the sustainability officer position:
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Job description (2nd position) 

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Job description (3rd position) 

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Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainability coordination is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.