Miami University
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination

The Sustainability Committee reports to the President. Membership comprises representatives from academics, operations, and residence life. The Committee is chaired or co-chaired by a faculty member.

Student representation includes standing membership for the Associated Student Government Sustainability Chair, a member of the student organization Green Oxford, and an IES graduate program student, among others. Miami's Director of Sustainability is a standing member. Meetings The Sustainability Committee meets monthly during the academic year, generally on the 3rd Tuesday of the month at 8 a.m.

Helaine Alessio (co-chair) EHS Kinesiology and Health Professor and Chair Faculty
Suzi Zazycki (co-chair) IES Associate Director
Jon Ralinovsky CCA Music Piano Technician Staff
Brian Ballou FSB Ernst & Young Professor of Accountancy; Director Isaac & Oxley Center for Business Leadership
Brian Keane CLASS BIO Professor Faculty
Jonathan Levy CAS IES Director and GLG Associate Professor Faculty
Doug Meikle CAS BIO Professor Faculty
Tim Cameron CEC Associate Dean and MME Professor Faculty
Iñaki (Luis) Pradanos-Garcia CAS Dept of Spanish and Portuguese Assoc Professor Faculty
Rob Abowitz Residence Life, Student Life Staff
Jeff Johnson Office of Environmental Health and Safety Staff
Adam Sizemore Director of Sustainability Staff
Robin Jackson Assistant Food & Beverage Director, Campus Services Staff
Sabrina Dunlap, Student in the Center for Business Leadership Fellow
Jade Cessna, Student in the Center for Business Leadership Fellow
Alia Agee, Student - Associated Student Government, and Student Sustainability Council
Cody Powell Assoc VP Facility Planning and Operations Staff
Lindsay Carpenter Asst. Provost/Academic Affairs, Staff
Susan Meikle University News and Communications Staff

Miami University’s sustainability office is located within the Physical Facilities Department (PFD) and reports to the Associate Vice President of Facilities Planning and Operations. The office contains a Director of Sustainability and two part-time graduate student Sustainability Coordinators.

In 2021, Miami University adopted three institutional pillars. The pillars will originate from the President’s Office and passed to campus divisional leaders who are responsible for establishing goals and metrics in collaboration with the Director of Sustainability. The three pillars are:

Pillar 1: Commitment to an Equitable and Sustainable Campus Infrastructure - Miami University is committed to implementing long-term changes in energy infrastructure, operations, and practices to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions, with the ultimate goal of achieving carbon neutrality; and to continue to implement practices that ensure our physical infrastructure supports a healthy, sustainable environment.

Pillar 2: Commitment to Enhancing Campus Culture
The University is committed to supporting sustainability programming, curriculum, and research, and increasing collaboration across all divisions, promoting a University-wide culture of sustainable behavior that supports health and well-being.

Pillar 3: Commitment to Responsible Resource Management
The University is committed to sustainable consumption, procurement, and efficiency through responsible purchasing, operations, and waste reduction/elimination strategies.

These Sustainability Pillars will provide a consistent foundation under which each division can establish goals and metrics that can be dynamic, agile, and responsive to constraints and innovations.

Due to meeting or surpassing our 2016 Sustainability Commitments and Goals (SCAG) we have retired the 2016 SCAG following adopting the sustainability pillars. Prior to 2021, Miami University coordinated sustainability across the entire institution through the Sustainability Commitment and Goals (SCAG). These six sustainability goals foster collaborative efforts across students, staff, and faculty, a process directed by the sustainability office. Miami University’s Sustainability Committee does not implement the SCAG but helps communicate with entities that implement these policies and programs and also reports on progress in these areas. Through the combined efforts across campus and the SCAG, Miami University has:

Institutional-wide successes based on the 2016 SCAG (language from our most recent annual sustainability report.

2016 COMMITMENT 1: Commitment to implement long-term changes in energy infrastructure, operations, and practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
GOAL: Reduce emissions relative to Oxford Campus FY 2008 baseline by 30% by 2020, 40% by 2025, and 50% by 2030.
STATUS: Miami met these goals well before the target dates due to the success of Miami’s Utility Master Plan and changes in energy systems to move off steam and increase energy conservation in new and renovated buildings. Even with increased gross square footage of buildings, by FY 2019 Miami had reduced carbon emissions from purchased electricity, natural gas and coal by 52% per gross square foot (gsf) (meeting the 2030 goal), and 41% independent of gsf (meeting the 2025 goal). FY 2020 numbers are not comparable to a normal, operational year due to the campus shutdown in response to the pandemic. However, if FY 2020 is taken into account, the reductions since FY 2008 were 57% per gsf and 46% independent of gsf.
During FY 2021 the Director of Sustainability calculated an updated carbon footprint for the Oxford campus (Table 1). Due to the pandemic’s impact on FYs 2020 and 2021 operations, the updated carbon footprint is based on FY 2019 data since it more accurately reflects a year of normal operations.

2016 COMMITMENT 2: Commitment to enhancing the understanding of decision-making criteria that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
GOAL: Incorporate social cost of carbon and incremental cost of reducing emissions into decisions about energy infrastructure to further reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
STATUS: Since 2016 the University has demonstrated its commitment to exploring the impacts of GHG emissions as well as social justice, diversity, and equity issues. In 2020 the commitment to carbon neutrality was formalized with the signing of the PCLC Climate Commitment. Also, in 2020 the commitment to social justice, diversity and equity was institutionalized through the formation of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Task Force. While the social cost of carbon may not specifically have been taken into account since 2016, Miami’s dedication to exploring carbon reduction and social justice issues has been well established. Furthermore, Miami’s forthcoming CAP will include targeted actions for climate resilience and carbon neutrality that take into account the social, health, racial justice, and other effects of GHG emissions. Whether the CAP incorporates the social cost of carbon specifically into future decisions about energy infrastructure will be determined by the CATF, but it is clear that social justice issues will be fully explored and incorporated.

2016 COMMITMENT 3: Commitment to include sustainability standards in building construction and operation.
GOAL: Achieve LEED Silver or similar rating in new construction or renovation.
STATUS: As of FY 2020, 29 of Miami’s Oxford campus buildings have achieved Gold or Silver LEED certification for either construction or renovations. These include 22 residence halls, 4 dining/residence halls, 2 academic buildings (Farmer School of Business and Shideler Hall), and Armstrong Student Center. Miami's 29 LEED-certified buildings now account for 28.3% of the gross square footage of buildings on the Oxford campus. Miami’s Physical Facilities Department (PFD) will continue to use LEED standards for new construction projects and renovations.

2016 COMMITMENT 4: Commitment to best management practices in grounds maintenance.
GOAL: Establish green care plans for Miami University Natural Areas.
STATUS: PFD Grounds continues to evaluate efficient, sustainable options to campus grounds maintenance. Since 2016, green care/sustainability efforts on the Oxford campus include: Implemented rain sensors and a new smart technology system for the irrigation systems to reduce and monitor water usage; Increased turf mowing height which helps reduce the amount of water needed; Grass clippings either mulched and left on turf or composted and reused in soil mix compost; Targeted pest management for trees and shrubs with insect problems, reducing insecticide use; All material from tree pruning and removals grinded and reused for mulch beds; Installed rain gardens by Dorsey and McBride halls; Creating riparian areas on Western campus; Sourced water from geothermal ponds for Cook field irrigation. Plans for Miami’s Natural Areas (1,000 acres and 17 miles of hiking trails) will be evaluated by the CATF to explore the potential for carbon sequestration.

2016 COMMITMENT 5: Commitment to incorporate sustainability in University curriculum and monitor sustainability literacy.
GOAL: Measure sustainability literacy of faculty, staff, and students.
STATUS: An online student sustainability educational module is being developed by the Sustainability Office in collaboration with Miami Regionals E-Campus with a target implementation date of late fall 2021. The module will be administered to all students with a pre- and post-literacy assessment, as well as a cultural assessment. The assessment will fulfill requirements under the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s (AASHE) Sustainability, Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (STARS). The module will be reevaluated and updated annually. Further plans include administering the module to staff and faculty.
In 2019, Miami’s Institute for the Environment & Sustainability (IES) introduced the Food Systems & Food Studies Co-Major, the fourth sustainability-related co-major (the other co-majors include Environmental Science, Energy and Sustainability).
Sustainability will be further incorporated in academic programs through the new Global Miami Plan (GMP) which is scheduled to launch in fall 2022. The proposed new GMP currently includes “Sustainability, Resilience and Change” as one of the five Miami Connections areas.
The CATF will continue to explore ways to incorporate curriculum and literacy into the campus experience per the requirements of the PCLC.

2016 COMMITMENT 6: Commitment to tracking, benchmarking, and reporting our sustainability
performance and progress to third-party rating systems and to external stakeholders.
GOAL: Submit triennial STARS reports to AASHE.
STATUS: Since 2009 Miami has submitted triennial sustainability reports to the AASHE STARS system. The University's continued focus on sustainability has been recognized with Silver ratings in 2013 and 2016, then Gold in 2019. The next STARS report will be submitted by March 2022. In addition, in signing the PCLC, the University must share GHG data and submit annual
progress reports to the Second Nature reporting platform. These consist reporting actions demonstrate that the University has institutionalized a commitment to being transparent and continues to explore additional outlets for communicating our progress.

The Director of Sustainability is a full-time position and is responsible for the planning, development, promotion, and execution of environmentally and economically sustainable practices by collaborating with PFD staff and the wider university community including students, faculty and administrative staff.

The Sustainability Coordinator is a graduate student who works part-time during the academic year and full time during winter and summer breaks. The Sustainability Coordinator assists the Director of Sustainability promote, integrate, and implement sustainability-based initiatives and programs at Miami University.

The Sustainability Coordinator is a graduate student who works part-time during the academic year and full time during winter and summer breaks. The Sustainability Coordinator assists the Director of Sustainability promote, integrate, and implement sustainability-based initiatives and programs at Miami University.

Contact Susan Meikle meiklesb@miamoh.edu