| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 61.60 |
| Liaison | Megan Curtis-Murphy |
| Submission Date | Feb. 28, 2023 |
Northeastern University
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Megan
Curtis-Murphy Director of Campus Sustainability & Engagement Climate Justice & Sustainability Hub |
Does the institution have at least one sustainability committee?:
The charter or mission statement of the committee(s) or a brief description of each committee's purview and activities:
Northeastern continues to develop and prioritize sustainability and climate justice at several levels throughout the University.
The Student Sustainability Committee meets monthly to facilitate information sharing and collaboration between the Climate Justice and Sustainability Hub and the Northeastern Community. The Committee reviews and considers student-based campus sustainability initiatives and identifies and discusses campus sustainability concerns, challenges, and opportunities. Successful initiatives from the 2021-2022 academic year included engagement and input on the Climate Justice Action Plan, input on a residential compost program and the preparation and implementation of a full month of events in April to celebrate Earth Month.
The Faculty Senate Committee on Climate Justice Action addresses climate change and sustainability through a social justice lens at their monthly meetings. They developed a definition of climate justice action within Northeastern’s global university system and they provided recommendations on the Climate Justice Action Plan.
The D’Amore McKim School of Business (DMSB) launched a Sustainability Steering and Planning Committee in March 2020. The committee promotes sustainability initiatives within DMSB through its purchasing decisions, education/awareness, and events. The DMSB Sustainability Steering Committee has used competitions and a weekly “Sustainability Corner” in the DMSB weekly newsletter to engage the DMSB community
The Food Advisory Committee, convened by the Director of Dining Services, met monthly with students to discuss food sustainability issues in dining halls and other on-campus food service facilities, composting, recycling and signage challenges/opportunities, as well as more specific types of food choices available, especially to those wanting to live a more sustainable lifestyle.
Members of each committee, including affiliations and role:
Student Sustainability Committee: Climate Justice & Sustainability Hub staff and students from student groups including, but not limited to: Student Government Association; the Energy Systems Society; Graduate Student Government Association; Husky Environmental Action Team (HEAT); Northeastern University Sustainable Buildings Organization; Net Impact; Slow Food NU; and Sunrise Northeastern
Senate Faculty Committee on Climate Justice Action (Academic year 2021 – 2022): Auroop Ganguly, COE -Civil and Environmental Engineering; Elizabeth Glowacki, BCHS - Communication Studies; Sarah Kanouse, CAMD - Art + Design; Sonia Rolland, Co-Chair - SOL - School Of Law-Academic; and Jennie Stephens, Co-Chair - CSSH - School for Public Policy/Urban Affairs.
DMSB Sustainability Steering Committee: three faculty; HR Director for DMSB; Administrative Assistants; Co-op staff; Dean’s Office staff; two students; Climate Justice & Sustainability Hub Director.
Food Advisory Committee: Dining Services Director and includes participation from student groups (participation being determined by the student groups themselves): HEAT, Progressive Student Alliance, Resident Student Association, Student Government Association, and Slow Food Northeastern, as well as other individual students who may attend meetings.
Does the institution have at least one sustainability office that includes more than 1 full-time equivalent employee?:
A brief description of each sustainability office:
Exciting changes are coming to Northeastern University as the Office of Sustainability transitioned to become the Climate Justice and Sustainability Hub in early 2022. This transition reflects our intention to engage, implement, and put research into action on climate justice, sustainability, and resilience at Northeastern.
The Climate Justice and Sustainability Hub works to elevate Northeastern’s ability to leverage the talent from our students, faculty, and staff, and global partnerships to expand our leadership role and implement just solutions to address the climate crisis. The Climate Justice and Sustainability Hub will help further the university’s work on climate justice and sustainability by focusing on enhancing the connections among student projects, faculty teaching and research, neighborhood stakeholders, campus operations, and capital investments.
The Hub will continue to implement a variety of programs and policies related to green building, carbon reduction, climate justice, energy conservation, and waste reduction. One of the first tasks for the Hub is to complete the Climate Justice Action Plan in partnership with the Northeastern community and our neighborhood stakeholders. This plan will develop a blueprint for Northeastern to expand its leadership on climate justice and carbon reduction.
Full-time equivalent of people employed in the sustainability office(s):
Does the institution have at least one sustainability officer?:
Name and title of each sustainability officer:
Does the institution have a mechanism for broad sustainability coordination for the entire institution?:
A brief description of the activities and substantive accomplishments of the institution-wide coordinating body or officer during the previous three years:
The University achieved carbon neutrality in 2020 through the purchase of carbon offsets. Energy management continues to be a focus for the University as it invests in energy conservation and is planning for a New Energy Initiative that will include further investment in renewable energy and other energy efficiency projects.
The Climate Justice and Sustainability Hub continues to partner within the Planning, Real Estate and Facilities Department which has achieved several sustainable initiatives over the past three years including maintaining a diversion rate of over 40%, certifying 2 new buildings LEED Gold and establishing the Boston campus as an Arboretum with over 1,400 individual trees representing 143 different species.
The Hub also promotes and coordinates sustainability initiatives across campus including a compost pilot project in the dorms, support for student group projects and organizations, and sustainability awareness through tabling events and social media. The Hub greatly increased their engagement and more than doubled their social media following in the 2021-2022 school year.
In 2021, the Hub started the process of updating our 2010 Climate Action Plan with an intentional focus on climate justice and equity. Students, faculty and staff engaged on the topic through workshops and a community conversation. The focus of 2022 will be engaging the neighboring communities and defining strategies to advance Northeastern toward being a climate just institution.
Job title of the sustainability officer position:
Job description for the sustainability officer position:
Job description for the sustainability officer position:
Job title of the sustainability officer position (2nd position):
Job description for the sustainability officer position (2nd position):
Job description for the sustainability officer position (2nd position):
Job title of the sustainability officer position (3rd position):
Job description for the sustainability officer position (3rd position):
Job description for the sustainability officer position (3rd position):
Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainability coordination is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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.