Emory University
PAE-1: Sustainability Coordination

The Sustainability Office consults a high-level Advisory Committee composed of faculty and administrators from across the University. The committee was formed as an outgrowth of the 2005 Strategic Plan, which identified sustainability as one of Emory's core principles and charged the committee with developing a vision for the responsible environmental, economic, and social future of Emory. The committee completed the Sustainability Vision in 2006 and defined specific goals and recommendations intended to stimulate the imagination and guide decision making, resource use, and future action in all parts of the university. The Vision also called for the creation of the Office of Sustainability Initiatives, also created in 2006. In addition to the Sustainability Advisory Committee, the following sustainability-related committees also exist: Sustainable Food Committee: The Sustainable Food Committee was appointed by President Wagner in early 2007 to develop recommendations for meeting the food-related goals contained in the University's Sustainability Vision. Specifically, the Committee was charged with developing steps to meet Emory's goal of procuring 75 percent of ingredients in our cafeterias and hospitals from local or sustainably-grown sources by 2015. The Committee was also tasked with working with farmers and distributors to bolster regional food supplies, developing a farmers market on campus, developing guidelines for sustainable food procurement, overseeing the Educational Garden Project, and expanding awareness of sustainability issues related to food. In Fall 2010, a Faculty Advisory Council was created to advise the Office of Sustainability on issues related to curriculum and research. This group of distinguished faculty from Arts and Sciences, Medicine, Business, Law, Nursing, and Public Health report to the Provost. Sustainability Task Force for the Health Sciences: In 2008, the Executive Vice President for Health Sciences appointed a Sustainability Task Force. This group consists of broad representation of faculty, staff, and administrators from the healthcare related parts of Emory. It has undertaken a review of activities in healthcare and has made high-level recommendations for policy and practice. Climate Action Plan Committee: The CAP Committee was appointed in 2010 to begin the process of education and outreach to engage the Emory community in greenhouse gas reduction and to develop a formal commitment and Plan. The committee consists of faculty, staff, and students and works closely with Campus Services. Carbon Reduction Task Force: Appointed in 2010-11, this committee researches staffing and infrastructure needs related to feasibility assessment on the operations side to support development of a Climate Action Plan. Committee on the Environment: Created in 1990, the Committee on the Environment is a standing committee of the Emory University Senate. The Committee is comprised of faculty, staff, and students. The Committee works closely with Campus Services and meets monthly to review all projects undertaken by Emory that impact the environment, including new buildings, transportation initiatives, and forest management. In policy matters, COE has promoted conservation and sustainable development and facilitated Emory's eventual adoption of Green Building standards, a No Net Loss of Tree Canopy policy, a Water Conservation Policy, the Land Use plan that preserves natural areas from development, the Lullwater Management Plan, a Stormwater Management Plan, a Campus Environmental Office, and an Office of Sustainability. Drought Response Task Force: Georgia recently emerged from an historic drought, and Atlanta is the largest municipality reliant on the smallest single watershed in the United States. To do our part, Emory is committed to reducing its water consumption. The Drought Response Task Force is tasked with developing strategies to reduce water usage over time and planning for worst-case emergency shortages. Emory's efforts to conserve water are discussed in more detail on our Water Conservation web page.

Original Sustainability Advisory Committee: Peggy Barlett, Professor, Anthropology Eloise Carter, Oxford, Biology Mike Mandl, Executive Vice President Bridget Guernsey Riordan, Dean of Student Life Ciannat Howett, Director of Sustainability Mary Elizabeth Moore, Professor, Theology Wayne Alexander, Chair, Medicine Bob Hascall, VP for Campus Services John Wegner, Lecturer, Environmental Studies Bill Eley, VP for Medical Education

Emory's Office of Sustainability Initiatives was founded in September 2006, with the hiring of Ciannat Howett as Director. Emory’s Sustainability Vision calls on the Office of Sustainability to help restore our global ecosystem, foster healthy living, and reduce the University's impact on the local environment. Progress will be assessed using the environmental, economic, and social "triple bottom line" of sustainability. The Office of Sustainability Initiatives coordinates several key sustainability initiatives, including Green Building and Greenspace Protection, Energy Conservation, Recycling and Waste Minimization, Water Conservation, Sustainable Food, Commute options, and Emory as Place. The Office also supports numerous sustainability efforts of faculty, staff, and students across the University and Emory’s Healthcare system.

The Director of Sustainability Initiatives has the direct responsibility for overseeing all University initiatives related to sustainability. The Director reports jointly to the Offices of the Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs (Provost). The Director functions as a visionary leader and organizational strategist to help Emory become a national model for sustainability in higher education. The Director is also responsible for strategizing ways to integrate sustainability into both the operational and academic functions of the University, network with and facilitate internal and external resources to accomplish that goal, and evaluate the needs of the University community. Further, this position is responsible for developing programs and new initiatives to enhance Emory’s stature and create detailed implementation plans for those initiatives. The Director creates and implements communication strategies to promote broad awareness of initiatives and coordinates a University-wide process and organizational structure to support sustainability inquiry, change, and assessment. They also build effective partnerships and relationships with surrounding communities and key Atlanta institutions and establish effective linkages with units across campus that may have sustainability initiatives in process or as part of their overall strategy. The Director also coordinates, supports, and expands opportunities for faculty, staff, students and administrators to learn about sustainability issues throughout the academic and operational dimensions of University life.