| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 61.25 |
| Liaison | Audrey McSain |
| Submission Date | Feb. 28, 2020 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Lehigh University
PA-2: Sustainability Planning
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.00 / 4.00 |
Katharine
Targett Gross Sustainability Officer Office of Sustainability |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
Published Plans That Address Sustainability
Strategic Plan
Yes
A brief description of how the institution’s strategic plan or equivalent guiding document addresses sustainability:
We will guide Lehigh's drive to be a premier residential research university through the following strategic areas of investment where what we do has a significant impact on the world and our students' ability to compete in that world:
Globalization
Energy, environment, and infrastructure
Health
A copy of the strategic plan:
---
The website URL where the strategic plan is publicly available:
Sustainability Plan
Yes
A copy of the sustainability plan:
The website URL where the sustainability plan is publicly available:
Climate Action Plan
No
A copy of the climate action plan:
---
The website URL where the climate action plan is publicly available:
---
Other Published Plans
Yes
A list of other published plans that address sustainability, including public website URLs (if available):
In addition, Lehigh University released a Path to Prominence. This ambitious plan will allow Lehigh to grow and evolve into an even more impactful and innovative university--one whose work will changes lives, and the world, for the better. Lehigh's campuses and its connection to the South Side will be strengthened and transformed over the next ten years by catalytic projects and academic strategies that are the foundation of the Path to Prominence.
The Campus Master Plan specifically recommends a series of initiatives, under the umbrella of “Connections”, that will improve how those within the campus community and its visitors travel within and between the three campuses.
The framework outlined below seeks to improve access, significantly reduce congestion, improve the usage of Goodman Campus, achieve a more integrated Mountaintop Campus and create a more connected, pedestrian-friendly, and sustainable campus environment by minimizing the unsustainable reliance on single-occupant vehicles.
These initiatives will also promote Lehigh’s Campus Sustainability Plan 2020, while pursuing the health and wellness aspirations that are critical to creating a strong, supportive, and healthy campus community.
Measurable Sustainability Objectives
Curriculum
Yes
A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Curriculum and the published plans in which each objective is included:
Campus Sustainability Plan 2020 goals:
1) Complete an inventory of academic courses that include sustainability and make publicly available.
2) Include sustainability as a learning outcome when graduating from degree earning programs.
3) Conduct an annual sustainability literacy assessment that focuses on knowledge of sustainability topics and may also address values, behaviors and/or beliefs.
4) Establish an ongoing program that offers incentives for faculty in multiple disciplines or departments to develop new sustainability courses and/or incorporate sustainability into existing courses or departments. The program specifically aims to increase student learning of sustainability.
Research
Yes
A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Research and the published plans in which each objective is included:
Campus Sustainability Plan 2020 goals:
1) Create and publicize an inventory of faculty who conduct research.
2) Create program to encourage faculty sustainability research.
3) Create ongoing library support for sustainability research and learning in the form of research guides, materials selection policies and practices, curriculum development efforts, sustainability literacy promotion, and e-learning objects focused on sustainability.
4) Formally adopt an open access policy to ensure that versions of all future scholarly articles by faculty and staff and all future theses and dissertations are deposited into an open access repository.
Campus Engagement
Yes
A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Campus Engagement and the published plans in which each objective is included:
Campus Sustainability Plan 2020 goals:
1) Extend the peer-to-peer sustainability outreach program to reach 100% of undergraduate and graduate students by 2020.
2) Provide an opportunity for all undergraduate, transfer and graduate students to participate in orientation activities and programming that include sustainability.
3) Extend the faculty/staff peer-to-peer sustainability outreach program to reach an additional 8% of faculty and staff by adding 10 new offices per year.
4) Cover sustainability topics in new employee orientation and/or in outreach and guidance materials distributed to new employees, including faculty and staff.
5) Provide training and professional development opportunities about sustainability available to all staff at least once a year.
6) Create a lab program targeting behavioral change comprehensively across areas of energy, waste, water, and materials.
Public Engagement
Yes
A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Public Engagement and the published plans in which each objective is included:
Campus Sustainability Plan 2020 goals:
1) Create a formal sustainability partnership with the local community that catalyzes community resiliency and local/regional sustainability.
2) Begin institutional advocacy for national, state or local public policies that support campus sustainability, or otherwise advance sustainability.
3) Become an institutional member of the Fair Labor Association and/or the Workers’ Rights Consortium.
Air & Climate
Yes
A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Air & Climate and the published plans in which each objective is included:
Campus Sustainability Plan 2020 goals:
1) Reduce emissions by 25% over 2007 baseline.
Buildings
Yes
A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Buildings and the published plans in which each objective is included:
Campus Sustainability Plan 2020 goals:
1) Create sustainable buildings operations and maintenance guidelines or policy.
2) Establish sustainable building design and construction guidelines or policy to LEED Silver or equivalent standards.
Energy
Yes
A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Energy and the published plans in which each objective is included:
Campus Sustainability Plan 2020 goals:
1) Create an energy management plan that addresses campus growth and building needs, energy efficiency retrofits, behavior change opportunities and future reduction targets that reduces energy use per sq ft by 25% over 2007 baseline.
Food & Dining
Yes
A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Food & Dining and the published plans in which each objective is included:
Campus Sustainability Plan 2020 goals:
1) Achieve 20% of food aligning with 1 or more of 4 categories (local, humane, fair trade, organic).
2) Offer complete protein vegan meal options at dining locations on campus.
Grounds
Yes
A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Grounds and the published plans in which each objective is included:
Campus Sustainability Plan 2020 goals:
1) Conduct an assessment to identify vulnerable species and environmentally sensitive land on institution owned or managed land.
2) Identify and implement native plant standards to replace non-native species to support wildlife habitats.
3) Manage grounds in accordance with an Integrated Pest Management Plan, sustainable landscape management program and/or organic/certified/protected.
Purchasing
Yes
A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Purchasing and the published plans in which each objective is included:
Campus Sustainability Plan 2020 goals:
1) Move to purchasing Green Seal and/or UL Environment (EcoLogo) certified cleaning and janitorial products for all buildings.
2) Create an institution-wide stated intent to support disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local community-based businesses.
3) Employ life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) to evaluate energy and water life cycle using products, systems and building components.
4) Update policies to require that vendors and contractors to adhere to minimum environmental standards defined by the institution, and minimum standards governing employee wage, benefits, working condition and rights that are consistent with the International Labor Organization conventions.
Transportation
Yes
A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Transportation and the published plans in which each objective is included:
Campus Sustainability Plan 2020 goals:
1) Optimize fuel efficiency and mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions of our vehicles and bus services by optimizing bus routes and developing a plan for vehicle and bus replacement.
2) Increase by 10% the number of employees that use one or more of the following options as their primary means of transportation to and from campus: carpooling, walk, bike, public transportation or telecommute.
Waste
Yes
A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Waste and the published plans in which each objective is included:
Campus Sustainability Plan 2020 goals:
1) Create and implement a waste management plan to minimize waste generated on campus by 10% over 2010 baseline.
2) Increase recyclables by 10% over 2012 baseline.
3) Divert all food waste from trash stream.
Water
Yes
A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Water and the published plans in which each objective is included:
Campus Sustainability Plan 2020 goals:
1) Identify green infrastructure and low impact development (LID) practices to help mitigate storm water run-off impacts and treat rainwater as a resource rather than as a
waste product.
Diversity & Affordability
Yes
A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Diversity & Affordability and the published plans in which each objective is included:
Campus Sustainability Plan 2020 goals:
1) Administer or participate in programs to help build a diverse faculty.
2) To create policies and programs to make accessible and support non-traditional students.
Strategic Plan metrics:
1) Investing in Faculty and Staff
• Full-time faculty data (total, tenure track, by rank, diversity)*D
• Full-time staff data (total, diversity)*
2) Advancing Student Success: Promoting Core Competencies and
Student Engagement
• Admission success: student quality and diversity
3) Partnering in the Renaissance of the Local Community
• Diversity profiles (relative to enrollment/employment, selectivity,
and quality) D
(*) metrics that are currently benchmarked
(D) already included on one of the dashboards presented at each Board meeting
(+) items included in the faculty activity report.
Investment & Finance
Yes
A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Investment & Finance and the published plans in which each objective is included:
Campus Sustainability Plan 2020 goals:
1) Institution has adopted 1) a framework for engaging internal stakeholders (i.e. students, staff, faculty) in governance; and/or 2) a framework for engaging external stakeholders (i.e. local community members) in the institution’s governance, strategy and operations.
Strategic Plan metrics:
1) Partnering in the Renaissance of the Local Community
• Economic development metrics
• Lehigh programs involving partnerships with community or area
businesses
2) Institutional Financial Metrics
• N umber and percentage of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows
supported on external funding
• N umber and percentage of undergraduate students supported by financial
aid/type of aid D
• Average institutional financial aid package D
Wellbeing & Work
Yes
A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Wellbeing & Work and the published plans in which each objective is included:
Campus Sustainability Plan 2020 goals:
1) Conduct surveys to measure employee satisfaction and engagement addressing: job satisfaction, work/life balance and learning and advancement opportunities.
2) Begin tracking workplace injuries and occupational disease annually and set goals to reduce them.
Other Impact Areas
No
A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address other areas and the published plans in which each objective is included:
---
Optional Fields
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The formal statement in support of sustainability:
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The institution’s definition of sustainability (e.g. as included in a published statement or plan):
Needs to be formulated
Is the institution an endorser or signatory of the following?:
| Yes or No | |
| The Earth Charter | --- |
| The Higher Education Sustainability Initiative (HESI) | --- |
| ISCN-GULF Sustainable Campus Charter | --- |
| Second Nature’s Carbon Commitment (formerly known as the ACUPCC), Resilience Commitment, and/or integrated Climate Commitment | --- |
| The Talloires Declaration (TD) | --- |
| UN Global Compact | --- |
| Other multi-dimensional sustainability commitments (please specify below) | --- |
A brief description of the institution’s formal sustainability commitments, including the specific initiatives selected above:
---
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Lehigh University is committed to achieving sustainability in action, thought, and practice. To this end, a series of guidelines and commitments have been put into place that lay out a path to sustainability. These documents define the path forward: goals and directives focused on achieving environmental, economic, and social sustainability at Lehigh University.
Climate Commitment: A 2009 document that pledges to make environmental sustainability and climate change an institutional priority.
Diversity Commitments: A series of commitments including The Principles of Our Equitable Community, a list of nine core principles that serve as the foundation of our university community.
Energy Policy: A 2014 document that outlines how Lehigh will reduce energy consumption and energy-related greenhouse gas emissions on its campuses through infrastructural and technical strategies as well as everyday efforts of students, faculty, staff, and university visitors (the “university community”)
Website URL: http://sustainability.lehigh.edu/commitments
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.