Gonzaga University
PA-2: Sustainability Planning

The first of four main goals for the 2013 Climate Action Plan is to "deepen sustainability across the academic curriculum." The University plans to integrate sustainability concepts and issues throughout the curricula by creating new major concentrations, adding new courses, and finding ways to assess and evaluate sustainability curriculum. We will assess and evaluate sustainability through faculty wide survey addressing questions of which courses within the curriculum contain sustainability content and which courses’ core focus is sustainability. The survey is intended to establish a baseline and find which faculty members are interested in incorporating sustainability topics into their courses. The Cataldo Project amplifies and enriches the revised Core Curriculum by facilitating inclusion of environmental and sustainability issues in First Year Seminars, Social Justice designated classes, and Core Integration Seminars.

In assessing the current sustainability standards within the curriculum, there is a survey (March 2016), which is focusing on establishing a baseline for sustainability courses in the curriculum. This work follows a survey sent out in 2013 that was trying to establish similar classification goals. Survey and baseline goals are to be classified by May 2016. The Cataldo Project began its first cohort in 2016 and, there has been an addition of sustainability business concentration in the Business Department (2014), a hiring of a Director of Sustainability and the creation of a Sustainability Office (summer 2014), and plans to take a “slow way forward” approach to develop a more ecologically minded curriculum.

Faculty Fellow for Sustainability, Dr. Brian Henning, Director of Sustainability, Jim Simon, Academic Vice President, Dr. Patricia Killen.

A strategy of the Gonzaga Climate Action Plan is to increase students’ engagements with faculty research on sustainability. Faculty/student collaborative research provides opportunities for students to become part of the solution for climate change challenges.

A specific project related to the research strategy of the CAP is the senior symposium of the Environmental Studies Department which works collaboratively with faculty in the Biology Department to increase the ecological value of Lake Arthur (an on campus lake). The Environmental Studies department also joined the U-District Ecological Alliance, an organization focused on maintaining the ecological health of the Spokane River that runs through the University District boundary. The time frame of these objectives and strategies began in 2015 and is hoping to be accomplished by 2020.

Dr. Gregory Gordon, Dr. Hugh Lefcort, other faculty in the departments of Environmental Studies and Biology.

The second of four main goals for the 2013 Climate Action Plan is to increase sustainability in co-curricular programs, and this will integrating sustainability across the campus.

An ongoing strategy is to increase sustainability in service and place-based learning opportunities on campus. These are being carried out by the Career Center in terms of paid and unpaid internships, and by the Center for Community Action and Service-Learning (CCASL). Another ongoing effort is to incorporate sustainability concepts and practices into new student orientation.

The Gonzaga Student Body Association, Vice President for Student Development, Career Center, and CCASL.

Gonzaga University will, in response to Commitment 3, Goal 11 of the Strategic Plan "demonstrate its commitment to engaging with, and meaningfully benefiting, the local community of which it is part".

One way this commitment is being expressed is through an interdisciplinary group of staff, faculty, and students engaged in a strategy of asset based community development in the Logan Neighborhood around Gonzaga University and sought to measure what the neighborhood desired. Food security and river access were assessed as assets and needs for the community.

University Advancement, GU Outdoors, CCASL, and the Career Center.

Increased Air and Climate Sustainability is addressed by the third goal of the Climate Action Plan, and involves mitigation of scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions including natural gas and electricity usage, GHG emissions, and decreasing emissions from commuting, air travel, and waste management.

Gonzaga is committed to reducing emissions by at least 20% by 2020 and by at least 50% by 2035 from 2009 levels. By 2050 the University intends to achieve climate neutrality. Plans are to reduce natural gas emissions by 10% by 2020, and 25% by 2035 through energy efficiency and help from the Green Fund. A goal of 3% reductions in fleet-related emissions per-year (for a total of 24% by 2020) will be achieved through increased energy efficiency and a University-wide vehicle policy. Electricity efficiency and conservation strategies aim for a 25% reduction in electricity use by 2035 through upgrades to building exteriors, retro-commissioning, lighting upgrades, plumbing and HVAC improvements.

Plant services, ACSS, EVP, CFO, Executive Vice President, VP of Student Life, Student Director of Sustainability, Information Technology Services, President and President's Cabinet, Student Life, Zag Dining, and in some cases all divisions of the institution.

Plans to increase energy efficiency in buildings through regularly auditing buildings and upgrading building exteriors to promote conservation-preferred behavior.

By 2020 the Climate Action Plan calls for a 10% decrease in electricity-related emissions as an indicator for increased building sustainability.

Plant services, Office of Sustainability, Residence Life & Apartments, office managers, and faculty.

ZagDining by Sodexo is advancing sustainability in Dining Services/ Food through the plan and framework of the Real Food Challenge.

In 2014, Gonzaga committed to the Real Food Challenge, which set Gonzaga on a course to increase purchases of locally-sourced, less processed, and more ecologically-friendly food products to 20% by 2020. This will be achieved through policy work through the Food Systems Working Group.

Zag Dining, Plant Services, Student Life, Office of Sustainability, Gonzaga EAT.

In 2013, Gonzaga University adopted a Climate Action Plan that set forth a plan to advance sustainability in Energy.

Gonzaga is committed to reducing emissions by at least 20% by 2020 and by at least 50% by 2035 from 2009 levels. By 2050 the University intends to achieve climate neutrality. Gonzaga will reduce natural gas emissions by 10% by 2020, and 25% by 2035 through energy efficiency and help from the Green Fund. A goal of 3% reductions in fleet-related emissions per-year (for a total of 24% by 2020) will be achieved through increased energy efficiency and a University-wide vehicle policy. Electricity efficiency and conservation strategies aim for a 25% reduction in electricity use by 2035 through upgrades to building exteriors, retro-commissioning, lighting upgrades, plumbing and HVAC improvements. Electricity mitigation strategies aim for a 25% reduction in electricity use by 2035 through upgrades to building exteriors, retro-commissioning, lighting upgrades, plumbing and HVAC improvements.

Plant Services and the Director of Sustainability.

GEO, GU Outdoors, Student Green Fund.

Gonzaga's Sustainable Purchasing and Design Policies have been in place since 2011, and strive for sustainable purchase and design wherever it pertains to energy, water, toxins and pollutants, bio-based products, forest conservation, recycling, packaging, building construction, landscaping and food.

Plans to change purchasing behavior surrounding the Gonzaga car-fleet, Energy-Star and EPEAT certified electronic equipment, athletics-related air travel, and food are all measured by various percentages of reductions in their various institutional divisions (e.g. fuel emissions, energy use, waste reduction, etc.).

Sodexo, Plant Services, Information Technology Services, University Purchasing, Cabinet.

The Gonzaga Climate Action plan lays out strategies and timeframes for advancing sustainability in Transportation. Additionally, our obligation to the State of Washington's Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) provides a plan for reducing single occupancy vehicle trips to campus from employees.

Gonzaga's strategy for fleet-related emissions is a 3% per year reduction to 2020, or a total of 24%. If achieved, 50.4 metric tons will be reduced by 2020, leaving 159.6 metric tons produced. Our Commute Trip Reduction program is working towards a 10% reduction in drive alone rate, and a 13% reduction in vehicle miles traveled by 2030. That is measured every other year when we submit results from an employee survey.

Plant Services, Office of Sustainability.

The Gonzaga Climate Action Plan calls for recycling to be further improved through the following strategies:  Improved recycling signage.  Replacing or improving cumbersome classroom recycling bins with low bins that have a hinged lid.  Ensuring that a waste bin is located next to every recycling bin.  Regular study of the effectiveness of recycling system design.  Increased use of outdoor recycling bins.

Stemming from the 2015 Mission Possible service immersion trip to San Francisco, several students returned to Gonzaga hoping to apply what they learned to campus and applied to the student Green Fund in order to receive funding for a marketing campaign called ReThink Waste, and a series of outdoor compost and recycling bins that have been paired with existing outdoor trash bins. Rethink Waste branding is being used to reimagine all aspects of on campus waste and we seek to create an integrative plan that responds to the plan outlined in the Climate Action Plan.

Plant Services, Office of Sustainability

Gonzaga's Strategic Plan provides guidance on advancing Diversity and Affordability amongst employees and students.

The Strategic Plan provides the following strategies: By 2025, minimally 20% of full-time faculty and staff will comprise employees from racially, ethnically or culturally diverse populations. By 2020, 30% of each entering undergraduate class will comprise students from racially, ethnically, or culturally diverse populations, including international students. Additionally, Gonzaga will hire two post-doctoral graduate diversity fellows with the intention to hire them full-time afterwards if they are a good fit for the position. The hiring process for these positions will begin in Fall 2016.

University Cabinet

Gonzaga is participating in Healthy Campus 2020. Healthy Campus 2020 provides a framework for improving the overall health status on campuses nationwide.

Strategies suggested in Healthy Campus 2020 extend beyond traditional interventions of education, diagnosis, treatment, and health care at clinical levels. Through the collaborative efforts of health, academic, student affairs, and administrative colleagues, institutions of higher education can foster healthy environments and behaviors. 1. Reduce the annual number of new cases of diagnosed diabetes among faculty/staff. 2. Increase the proportion of faculty/staff who have had their blood pressure measured within the preceding two years and can state whether their blood pressure was normal or high. 3. Increase the proportion of faculty/staff who have had their blood cholesterol checked within the preceding five years. 4. Reduce the proportion of faculty/staff with high total blood cholesterol levels. Increase the proportion of faculty/staff with hypertension whose blood pressure is under control. 5. Increase the proportion of faculty/staff who are at a healthy weight. 6. Reduce the proportion of faculty/staff who are obese. 7. Increase the contribution of fruits to the diets among faculty/staff. 8. Increase the contribution of total vegetables to the diets among faculty/staff. 9. Increase the contribution of whole grains to the diets among faculty/staff. Topic Area: Physcial Activity/Fitness 1. Reduce the proportion of faculty/staff who engage in no leisure-time physical activity. 2. Increase the proportion of faculty/staff who meet current federal physical activity guidelines for aerobic physical activity. 3. Increase the proportion of faculty/staff who meet current federal physical activity guidelines for muscle-strengthing activity. Topic Area: Stress Management 1. (Developmental) Increase the proportion of faculty/staff who have access to workplace programs that prevent or reduce employee stress. 2. Increase the proportion of faculty/staff who get sufficient sleep. Topic Area: Tobacco Use 1. Reduce cigarette smoking use by faculty/staff. 2. Reduce smokeless tobacco products use by faculty/staff. 3. Increase smoking cessation attempts by faculty/staff smokers. 4. Topic Area: Miscellaneous (Developmental) Increase the proportion of institutions that offer an employee health promotion program to their employees. (Developmental) Increase the proportion of employees who participate in employer-sponsored health promotion activities. Increase the proportion of faculty/staff who are vaccinated annually against seasonal influenza.

Student Development and Human Resources.

Sustainable Development is defined in a Jesuit context as, “a commitment to respect and care for the community of life. It is economic growth that promotes the values of human rights, care for the natural world, and the striving for the common good of the whole earth community, especially the poor and most vulnerable. It involves sustaining the present generation without imposing long-term costs or penalties on future generations. It replaces the use of non-renewable resources with renewable ones and reduces the consumption of all resources. It entails reuse, recovery, and recycling wherever possible; and replenishment or restoration of the natural balances affected by our actions. It implies sound life-cycle planning and economics—economics that truly reflect the environmental and human costs of our technologies and decisions. Sustainable development will succeed only if it expands to include a vision of sustainable communities which hold all creation as sacred.

In our mission statement, we are called to care for creation and be stewards of our common resources. In Laudato Si', Pope Francis' encyclical on the environment, he calls for people of good will to care for our common home. In our Statement of Affirmation, we again, are called to be stewards of God's Creation and are deemed responsible for preserving the earth for future generations.