Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 76.00
Liaison Ciannat Howett
Submission Date March 5, 2021

STARS v2.2

Emory University
EN-11: Inter-Campus Collaboration

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 3.00 Taylor Spicer
Assistant Director
Office of Sustainability Initiatives
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Is the institution currently a member of a national or international higher education sustainability network?:
Yes

The name of the national or international sustainability network(s):
AASHE
STARS
SPLC
I2SL
CSHEMA
Ivy+ Listening Post

Does the institution actively participate in a regional, state/provincial, or local higher education sustainability network?:
Yes

The name of the regional, state/provincial or local sustainability network(s):
* Georgia Campus Sustainability Network (until Spring 2017)
* Southeast Campus Sustainability Network
* United Nations Regional Centre for Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development - Greater Atlanta (RCE Greater Atlanta)
* Atlanta Regional Council for Higher Education (ARCHE)
* Just Energy Circle of the Partnership for Southern Equity
* Atlanta Studies

Has the institution presented at a higher education sustainability conference during the previous year?:
Yes

A list or brief description of the conference(s) and presentation(s):
AY 2016-2017:
* Georgia Campus Sustainability Network Conference - Emory's pollinator protection policy
* COP 22 Emory delegation presentation - Emory University & Emory Healthcare sustainability overview
* AASHE Conference - Emory's pollinator protection policy and Friends of the Earth partnership
* AASHE Conference - Climate Action Plans
* AASHE Conference - Sustainability vision and strategic planning process
* SPLC Conference - Lab landfill diversion programs
* CSHEMA Conference - Lab landfill diversion program
* I2SL Conference - Lab Landfill diversion program

AY 2017-2018:
* EcoDistricts Presentation and Tour - WaterHub, on-site water reclamation facility
* AASHE Conference - America to Go partnership
* AASHE Conference - Lab landfill diversion programs
* AASHE Conference - Sustainability for Sustainability Professionals
* AASHE Conference - Tips for new professionals to sustainability in HE field
* SPLC Webinar - Emory's sustainable food purchasing & climate-friendly food service
* Presentation to EPA Region 4 - WaterHub, on-site water reclamation facility

AY 2018-2019:
* Georgia Environmental Conference - Emory's waste policy and waste management program
* AASHE Conference - Emory's waste policy and waste management program
* AASHE Conference - Strategic planning approaches
* AASHE Conference - WaterHub, on-site water reclamation facility
* AASHE Conference - America To Go partnership with Emory
* CSHEMA Conference - Green Labs at Emory
* AASHE Webinar - WaterHub, on-site water reclamation facility
* Break the Cycle Conference - Emory University & Emory Healthcare sustainability overview
* Waste Expo - Emory's waste policy, food recovery and composting
* ACUI Conference - Emory's waste policy and waste management program
* I2SL Conference - Lab Landfill Diversion Upstream Innovation

Has the institution submitted a case study during the previous year to an external higher education sustainability resource center or awards program?:
Yes

A list or brief description of the sustainability resource center or awards program and submission(s):
Emory submitted multiple case studies to the AASHE Hub and Awards program during the reporting period. Programs represented in the case studies include, Emory's pollinator protection policy, adoption and implementation of a Waste Policy, creation of the WaterHub student docents program, and description of annual class about and student and faculty delegations to the COP.

For the Atlanta Better Buildings Challenge (ABBC) of the Department of Energy, Emory submitted energy and water usage data for over 50 hospital and campus buildings, making Emory the largest participant in the program. Through the ABBC, Emory earned many awards, including the "Game Changer" Award for the WaterHub, for multiple buildings achieving the 20% energy or water reduction ahead of the 2020 goal.

Emory submitted a case study about our 2018 Waste Policy adoption and implementation to the APPA: Leadership in Educational Facilities. Additionally, Emory led an on-site "Essentials of Facilities Management Seminar" co-hosted by APPA and ACUI: Association of College Unions International.

In 2018, Emory submitted an awards application for a NACUBO Excellence in Sustainability recognition.

In 2018, Emory submitted a case study and proposal for the Rodenberry Prize focused on food waste recovery, energy generation and research.

In 2018, the WaterHub at Emory University received the 2018 IDEA Innovation Award for its waste water reclamation and reuse system in collaboration with IDEA member Sustainable Water.

In 2018, Emory submitted applications for the Atlanta Metro Chamber E3 Awards program regarding campus Pollinator Protection Policy and Waste Policy efforts.

In 2017, Emory University in partnership with the sustainability office of the CDC, applied for and received recognition with a CDC Green Champion Award for work creating a community recycling biannual event at the neighboring mixed-use development, Emory Point.

In 2019, Emory students presented on the Emory Freezer Challenge piloted through the Office of Sustainability Initiatives to the Carbon Reduction Challenge program, led by the Georgia Tech Global Change Program.

Has the institution had employees or students serving on a board or committee of a sustainability network or conference during the previous three years?:
Yes

A list or brief description of the board or committee appointment(s):
Ciannat Howett, AVP, Sustainability, Resilience & Economic Inclusion for Emory University and Emory Healthcare, is a a co-founder of the Greater Atlanta Regional Centre of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development of the United Nations, and serves on the Advisory Board of Emory Law School’s Turner Environmental Law Clinic and the National Council on Competitiveness. She is also a Trustee for the R. Howard Dobbs, Jr. Foundation, and the PATH Foundation.

Kelly Weisinger, Director of Sustainability, serves on three voluntary positions with the International Institute of Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL) as founding Co-President of the Georgia Chapter, founder and Co-Chair of the Laboratory Waste Landfill Diversion Working Group, and member of the 2021 I2SL conference host committee. Kelly is also a member of the Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council’s (SPLC) Higher Education Peer Advisory Group, The Lovett School Sustainability Advisory Board, and the City Schools of Decatur Operations Advisory Committee.

Taylor Spicer, Assistant Director for OSI, served on the Generation Green of the Georgia Conservancy from July 2015 to July 2018 and the Next South Sustainability Career Conference planning team from 2015 to 2017. The Next South conference brought together students from schools across the Southeast with Georgia sustainability professionals to discuss and explore career journeys. She has also participated in the RCE Greater Atlanta network, connecting Emory students to the network and participating in network meetings and events.

Does the institution have an ongoing mentoring relationship with another institution through which it assists the institution with its sustainability reporting and/or the development of its sustainability program?:
Yes

A brief description of the mentoring relationship and activities:
Until 2018, the Georgia Campus Sustainability Network provided a framework for the mentoring of institutions just beginning their sustainability initiatives until National Wildlife Federation sunset the network. Because Emory has one of the longest-running programs in the metro-Atlanta area, our Office of Sustainability Initiatives was able to share a great deal of best practices and lessons learned.

Also, Emory's Piedmont Project, which is a nationally-renowned faculty development program to integrate sustainability into the curriculum and the longest-running program of its kind in the U.S., expanded to include faculty from other metro-Atlanta colleges and universities (e.g., Agnes Scott, Georgia Tech, Georgia State). This allowed other schools in the area to gain the benefits of the program without duplication of resources and even in the absence of a trained faculty facilitator on their campus.

Has the institution had employees or students serving as peer reviewers of another institution’s sustainability data and/or STARS submission during the previous three years?:
Yes

A brief description of the peer review activities:
Kelly Weisinger, Director of Sustainability, serves on an SPLC Peer Learning Circle with other higher education members and provides monthly peer reviews and feedback on a variety of sustainable purchasing-related programs, policies, guidelines, and strategies.

Kelly Weisinger, Director of Sustainability, reviewed and provided feedback on the University of New Hampshire's update of SIMAP commute GHG data collection and guidance.

Optional Fields 

A brief description of other inter-campus collaborative efforts around sustainability during the previous year :
Ciannat Howett, Emory's AVP of Sustainability, Resilience & Economic Inclusion, served on the Sustainable Atlanta Round Table planning committee, has been involved in the City of Atlanta's resiliency planning, and is a member of the Clifton Community Partnership external advisory committee.

Taylor Spicer, Assistant Director of Sustainability, served on the City of Atlanta's ad-hoc committee, along with faculty members of Georgia State and Georgia Tech, to plan for the implementation of the Bee City Resolution passed in 2017.

Website URL where information about the institution’s inter-campus collaborations is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Data reported for academic years 2016-2017, 2017-2018 and 2018-2019.

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.