Florida State University
PAE-4: Sustainability Plan

Before the FSU Office of Sustainability was created (2010), the Strategic Planning Group led the charge for years in regards to most sustainability-related programs and goals. Members of this group represented the following stakeholder groups: Facilities, Student Affairs, Campus Dining, Finance & Administration, Business Services, Athletics, Housing, faculty, and students. In addition to monthly meetings and program development, this group met yearly (2008-2010) to revise and update our goals and objectives.

To educate students, staff, faculty and campus community members about sustainable living practices. - Present sustainable ideas and theories in an open, non-judgmental and scientific manner. - Maintain and update an organizational website and link to other related campus sites. - Create a newsletter . - Sponsor and promote educational and research-based webinars, workshops, and programs as resources permit. - Develop departmental "tout sheets" that promote existing sustainable initiatives on campus and document accomplishments. - Develop and facilitate existing education programs and events. To support via human resources and financial resources, when available, initiatives that promote conservation and green living on our campus. - Obtain financial support via outside funding to sustainability programs and events. - Encourage the use of institutional memberships to sustainability organizations aligned with our mission. - Contribute 1,000 hours per year in direct participation of campus and community sustainability programs. To collaborate with campus partners in establishing benchmarks in the area of waste reduction, energy reduction and non-renewable resource reduction and encourage the following “best practices:” - Reduction of overall energy consumption on campus. - Document cost savings related to resource conservation practices. - Creation of a comprehensive campus-wide recycling program with consistent recycling signage and branding throughout campus. - Eliminate the use of Styrofoam containers from the FSU campus. - Insert green or environmentally-friendly language into University RFPs, ITNs, and contracts, (i.e. energy efficient vending machines as part of vending contract renewal). - Promote green event planning on campus by serving as a green event planning resource. To have a cohesive, all-encompassing organizational structure on campus that promotes our mission, establishes goals, and takes prompt action to achieve these goals on a perpetual basis. - Create the FSU Sustainable Campus Initiative to include all campus groups involved in sustainability work (education, programming, and research). - Create a Strategic Planning Group to organize Initiative efforts and serve as a link between like-minded campus sustainability groups. - Establish departmental working groups (Green Teams) - Create a Board of Directors for the Initiative and invite select members of the FSU staff, faculty and student body as well as community partner representatives to sit on this (nine) member board. - Assist with the creation of a university Sustainability Office that acts as a clearinghouse for all sustainability initiatives on the FSU campus, and serve in a supportive role of this office once it is established.

Because of the "unofficial" nature of this group, goals focused on program development (education and awareness) instead of specific, targeted numbers for campus operations. Most of our goals could be tracked with a yearly update of YES or NO. Data was always being collected at the same time (tonnage of recyclable material and money saved, number of volunteers/hours, KwH reductions, etc) and were reported in a variety of ways.

The result of our AASHE STARS submission will lead to the development of a new sustainability strategic plan for our university.