Princeton University
PRE-2: Points of Distinction

The University’s Sustainability Action Plan—adopted in April 2019—updates Princeton's comprehensive framework for applying repeatable and scalable solutions to global environmental and societal challenges manifest at the local scale. This Plan sets bold targets in all key areas, including climate action, that focus on cultivating solutions at the intersection of research, education, and campus planning and operations. Notably, the university is converting the campus to a district-scale hot water system, away from a steam heating system, which maximizes efficiency. The low-temperature hot water system is also converted from fossil fuel-based thermal sources to a geo-exchange and heat pump system for heating and cooling. This transition projects to reduce Princeton’s annual water usage by ~20%. 

Other strategies toward net zero include continued major investments in energy efficiency, a significant expansion of on-campus solar PV arrays, the planned purchase of new renewable electricity generation off-site, and changes in behavior across the campus community. As of FY23, Princeton has achieved a ~15% reduction in absolute Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions since our baseline year of 2005. 

For more than a decade, Princeton's Campus as Lab (CAL) program has facilitated sustainability research and experiential learning both on campus and in the surrounding community. Explorations into the social, physical, and operational dimensions at the local scale can generate new experiential knowledge to help advance sustainability on campus, in our broader community, and around the world.

The University’s approach to healthy habitats and stormwater management revolves around a restorative ecosystem approach to landscape management and a campus-wide effort to reduce rainwater runoff and improve water quality. Princeton strives to cultivate healthy and resilient habitats protecting soils, restoring ecological function, reducing synthetic chemical use, encouraging stormwater infiltration, emphasizing native perennial plantings, and conserving water.

To address stormwater management, Princeton promotes the implementation of green infrastructure (GI) for all new developments on campus. Through the 2016 and 2026 Campus Plans, the University has built an extensive network of green infrastructure best management practices (GI BMPs) to reduce rainwater runoff and improve water quality. These GI BMPs include green roofs, bioretention systems, porous pavement on paths and parking, infiltrating turf fields, subsurface storage, rainwater harvesting systems, and manufactured treatment devices. Today, there are over 150 GI BMP installations on campus.. As of 2023, 191 acres (including 65 acres of paved impervious area) were under enhanced stormwater management on the main campus and Meadows Neighborhood combined. Updates to the stormwater strategy outlined in the 2026 Campus Plan are underway, and a comprehensive stormwater study is anticipated to be finalized in 2024. These updates will ensure that the University is going beyond mere regulatory compliance and guide the University's continued commitment to enhancing existing natural resources and bolstering resilience on campus.