Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 50.88
Liaison Joanne Wong
Submission Date May 31, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Mills College
PA-2: Sustainability Planning

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.75 / 4.00 Nicole Gaetjens
Sustainability Coordinator
Campus Facilities
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Published Plans That Address Sustainability 

Strategic Plan

Does the institution have a published strategic plan or equivalent guiding document that includes sustainability at a high level? :
Yes

A brief description of how the institution’s strategic plan or equivalent guiding document addresses sustainability:
One of the Strategic Imperatives of the Mills College Strategic Plan 2013-2018 is "strengthening our commitment to inclusion, social justice, and sustainability." An excerpt from this Strategic Imperative is below: "While Mills can be a learning laboratory of sustainability, helping students learn through curricular and co-curricular work about social justice and equality in the world around them, it is imperative that the Mills community live and model the value we hold dear. Mills will pursue initiatives which enable us to be viewed as a 21st century college committed to sustainability with efforts including developing a campus farm, adopting energy savings measures, promoting food justice and participating in the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment to lessen our environmental footprint."

A copy of the strategic plan:
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The website URL where the strategic plan is publicly available:
http://mills.edu/strategicplan

Sustainability Plan 

Does the institution have a published sustainability plan (apart from what is reported above)? :
No

A copy of the sustainability plan:
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The website URL where the sustainability plan is publicly available:
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Climate Action Plan 

Does the institution have a published climate action plan (apart from what is reported above)? :
Yes

A copy of the climate action plan:
Climate Action Plan 2015.pdf

The website URL where the climate action plan is publicly available:
http://mills.edu/green/reports.php

Other Published Plans 

Does the institution have other published plans that address sustainability or include measurable sustainability objectives (e.g. campus master plan, physical campus plan, diversity plan, human resources plan)? :
Yes

A list of other published plans that address sustainability, including public website URLs (if available):
The "Mills Community Farm 5-Year Master Plan" is a published but non-public plan outlining the development of a sustainable farm on campus.

Measurable Sustainability Objectives 

Curriculum

Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Curriculum?:
Yes

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Curriculum and the published plans in which each objective is included:
The "Mills Community Farm 5-Year Master Plan" has a goal of 5 new sustainable food systems courses in the first five years of farm development.

Research 

Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Research?:
Yes

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Research and the published plans in which each objective is included:
The "Mills Community Farm 5-Year Master Plan" has a goal of 5 new sustainable agriculture research projects in the first five years of farm development.

Campus Engagement 

Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address 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:
The "Mills Community Farm 5-Year Master Plan" has a goal of at least 10 new workshops and events open to both the Mills community and public, and hiring at least 4 student workers.

Public Engagement 

Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address 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:
The "Mills Community Farm 5-Year Master Plan" has a goal of at least 10 new workshops and events open to both the Mills community and public. The plan also has a goal for developing a CSA and farmer's market booth within the first five years of farm implementation.

Air & Climate 

Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address 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:
The Climate Action Plan includes the objective to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 15% by 2015, from 2008 levels. Strategies include efficiency measures and upgrades, including outdoor lighting, building envelop and mechanical upgrades. We have exceeded this goal and are in the process of developing a new Climate Action Plan.

Buildings 

Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Buildings?:
Yes

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Buildings and the published plans in which each objective is included:
Per the Climate Action Plan, all new construction is to be minimum LEED Silver.

Energy 

Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Energy?:
Yes

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Energy and the published plans in which each objective is included:
The Climate Action Plan includes the objective to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 15% by 2015, from 2008 levels. Strategies include renewable energy and energy efficiency measures and upgrades, including outdoor lighting, building envelop and mechanical upgrades.

Food & Dining 

Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address 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:
The "Mills Community Farm 5-Year Master Plan" has a goal of producing 24,000 square feet of high yield produce year-round for campus dining.

Grounds 

Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Grounds?:
No

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Grounds and the published plans in which each objective is included:
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Purchasing 

Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Purchasing?:
No

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Purchasing and the published plans in which each objective is included:
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Transportation 

Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Transportation?:
Yes

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Transportation and the published plans in which each objective is included:
The Climate Action Plan includes the objective to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 15% by 2015, from 2008 levels. Strategies include incentivizing clean commuting in a variety of ways.

Waste 

Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Waste?:
Yes

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Waste and the published plans in which each objective is included:
The Climate Action Plan includes the objective to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 15% by 2015, from 2008 levels. Strategies include reducing number of disposables and increasing diversion.

Water 

Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Water?:
No

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Water and the published plans in which each objective is included:
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Diversity & Affordability 

Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address 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:
Per the Mills College Strategic Plan 2013-2018, objectives include: -Development of new scholarships -Development of more flexible degree programs

Investment & Finance 

Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Investment & Finance?:
No

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Investment & Finance and the published plans in which each objective is included:
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Wellbeing & Work 

Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Wellbeing & Work?:
No

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Wellbeing & Work and the published plans in which each objective is included:
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Other Impact Areas 

Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address other areas (e.g. arts and culture or technology)?:
No

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address other areas and the published plans in which each objective is included:
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Optional Fields 

Does the institution have a formal statement in support of sustainability endorsed by its governing body (e.g. a mission statement that specifically includes sustainability and is endorsed by the Board of Trustees)? :
No

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):
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Is the institution an endorser or signatory of the following?:
Yes or No
The Earth Charter No
The Higher Education Sustainability Initiative (HESI) No
ISCN-GULF Sustainable Campus Charter No
Second Nature’s Carbon Commitment (formerly known as the ACUPCC), Resilience Commitment, and/or integrated Climate Commitment Yes
The Talloires Declaration (TD) No
UN Global Compact No
Other multi-dimensional sustainability commitments (please specify below) ---

A brief description of the institution’s formal sustainability commitments, including the specific initiatives selected above:
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The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.