| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 83.87 |
| Liaison | Yolanda Cieters |
| Submission Date | March 1, 2024 |
Seattle University
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Yolanda
Cieters Associate Director CEJS |
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:
In response to Pope Francis’s invitation to higher education institutions, Seattle University's (SU) President Peñalver signed a letter of commitment in September 2021 to participate in the “Seven-Year Journey Towards Integral Ecology” and the Laudato Si’ Action Platform (LSAP).
In order to be a committed and active higher education participant in the 7-year Journey, a “Seattle University Laudato Si’ Action Platform Executive Committee” has been created to oversee, facilitate, and adequately coordinate the implementation of the LSAP priorities and goals, and to create a system of communication, collective participation, reporting as well as accountability from all parties involved.
The LSAP Leadership team finalized, in February 2023, SU's Laudato Si’ Action Plan, which includes four main priorities that span across campus operations, departments, and partnerships.
See more here:
--https://www.seattleu.edu/ictc/laudato-si-action-platform/laudato-si-leadership-structure/
--www.seattleu.edu/laudatosi
Members of each committee, including affiliations and role:
Seattle University's Laudato Si Executive Committee consists of 16 members:
--Two co-chairs (that is: the Associate Director of Sustainability; and the Director of the Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture)
--the University’s President
--the University's Provost
--the CFO
--the Vice President of Mission Integration
--the Vice Provost for Student Development
--9 Priority Co-chairs:
o Director of the Center for Environmental Justice and Sustainability; Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
o Director of Environmental Studies; Professor and Director, Institute of Public Service
o Special Assistant to the Provost for Curriculum; Professor, English
o Chair and Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
o Associate Vice President for Facilities Services
o Director of Procurement
o Director of Treasury and Risk Management
o Director of Campus Ministry
o Special Assistant to the Provost for Strategic Directions; and Director of the Center for Social Transformation and Leadership; Professor, Educational and Organizational Learning and Leadership
See more here:
--https://www.seattleu.edu/ictc/laudato-si-action-platform/laudato-si-leadership-structure/
--www.seattleu.edu/laudatosi
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:
The Center for Environmental Justice and Sustainability (CEJS) is a campus-wide, interdisciplinary Center that seeks to inspire and prepare the next generation of leaders and professionals to meet the unprecedented ethical challenge facing us all in the early 21st century: forging a sustainable relationship between humankind and planet Earth and doing so in ways that foster justice within and between societies. CEJS inspires care for our communities through the research and practice of social, economic, and environmental sustainability and seeks to educate and develop leaders for a more just and sustainable world by:
--Engaging students in experiential learning through environmental justice and sustainability projects at SeattleU, in the greater Seattle area, and around the world
--Advancing sustainability literacy and research
--Sponsoring events, conferences, and workshops that engage students and employees with the community and advance public policy
--Promoting Seattle University's climate action and sustainability performance in all areas of our campus, from Academics and Engagement to Operations and Investments
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 Associate Director of Sustainability and the Director of the Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture serve--since Fall 2022--as Co-chairs of Seattle University’s Laudato Si Action Platform (LSAP) and work in direct collaboration with the LSAP Executive Committee and many university departments/stakeholders to promote the integration of sustainability across campus areas (academics, campus engagement, operations, planning and administration, and communication) and oversee the implementation of Seattle University’s Laudato Si Action Plan.
Substantive campus-wide sustainability accomplishments since the start of Seattle University’s Laudato Si Action Platform (Fall 2021):
(1) In Fall 2021, In response to Pope Francis’s invitation to higher education institutions, Seattle University's (SU) President Peñalver signed a letter of commitment in September 2021 to participate in the “Seven-Year Journey Towards Integral Ecology” and the Laudato Si’ Action Platform (LSAP). See more information about the Laudato Si Action Platform here: https://www.seattleu.edu/laudatosi
(2) In Fall 2022, Seattle University created the Laudato Si Action Platform Executive Committee to oversee, facilitate, and adequately coordinate the implementation of the LSAP priorities and goals, and to create a system of communication, collective participation, reporting as well as accountability from all parties involved. See the LSAP structure here: https://www.seattleu.edu/ictc/laudato-si-action-platform/laudato-si-leadership-structure/
(3) In winter quarter 2023, Seattle University adopted its first sustainability Action Plan called “Laudato Si Action Plan” which includes 4 main priorities and 27 goals that span across campus operations, departments, and partnerships. See the plan here: https://issuu.com/seattle_university/docs/seattle_university_s_laudato_si_action_plan_-_issu
(4) LSAP Goals progress and accomplishments between Fall 2021 and Winter 2024: see digital brochure here: https://www.seattleu.edu/media/institute-for-catholic-thought-and-culture/files/resources/2023-LSAP-Brochure.pdf
PRIORITY 1 “INTEGRATE INTEGRAL ECOLOGY ACROSS THE CURRCULUM AND RESEARCH”
– Goal 1 ACCOMPLISHED: Formulated university-wide definition of “sustainability” (see www.seattleu.edu/sustainability)
– Goal 3: Completed a sustainability literacy assessment to be sent to freshmen and seniors each year. Sent to freshmen Fall 2023.
– Goal 5: Laudato Si faculty fellowships launched (two annual fellowships). Two faculty fellows selected for AY23-24
– Goal 6: Created a Sustainability “Courses” and “Research” repository mapping its content to the UN 17 SDGs and the LSAP goals. Update for AY22 and AY23 in progress.
PRIORITY 2 “ACHIEVE CLIMATE NEUTRALITY AND REDUCE SEATTLEU’S ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT”
– Goal 1: In partnership with a consulting firm, developed a “Zero Carbon Over Time Infrastructure Plan” (ZoT)
– Goal 3: Third-party verified carbon offsets purchased to compensate for the University’s emissions from on-campus operations. See more information at https://www.seattleu.edu/climate/#offsets
– Goal 4: Developed a “Green Fleet” policy
– Goal 6: Completed baseline study of SU waste
PRIORITY 3 “PRACTICE SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION, PURCHASING AND INVESTMENT”
– Goal 1 : Developed an institution-wide sustainable procurement policy
– Goal 4: ACCOMPLISHED: SU fully divested the marketable portion of its endowment from any investments in companies owning fossil fuel reserves (June 2023)
PRIORITY 4 “DEVELOP A SUSTAINABLE CAMPUS CLIMATE AND DEEPEN COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT & PUBLIC ADVOCACY”
– Goal 1 ACCOMPLISHED: Launched the annual Laudato Si’ University celebration
– Goal 4: 2023 Staff and Faculty Workforce Engagement Survey by Human Resources and the 2023 Staff Voices Survey by Staff Council conducted
– Goal 5: Created SUstainability Delegate position at SGSU
(5) In 2023, the Center for Environmental Justice and Sustainability celebrated its 10th anniversary. See the accomplishments of 10 years CEJS here: https://issuu.com/seattle_university/docs/cejs_report_issuu
(6) CAMPUS SUSTAINABILITY: Winter 2016, Winter 2018, Winter 2021: CEJS compiled and submitted the STARS report for Seattle University obtaining a gold rating in all three years.
(7) SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORTATION: Campus-wide commuting survey (Fall 2016, Winter 2020, Winter 2023—a partnership between CEJS, Department of Transportation and Facilities Services): SU surveyed the campus community to learn how students and employees commute to campus. With this survey, we looked to (1) gather info on how Seattle's population and economic growth may have changed the commuting habits of Seattle University community members; (2) obtain data to estimate SU’s carbon footprint for commuters; (3) identify new sustainability initiatives on campus related to commuting; and (4) support the Department of Transportation in its planning.
(8) WASTE MINIMIZATION AND DIVERSION: Winter 2017-today: Participation in the annual Recyclemania/Race to Zero Waste competition was started on campus by Facilities and CEJS in Winter 2017. During the competition, SU’s waste management team runs weekly waste audits and uses the results to plan for measures to help improve SU’s recycling and composting efforts. See: https://www.seattleu.edu/racezerowaste/
To find more info about sustainability updates and accomplishments at SU, please see https://www.seattleu.edu/cejs/newsletter/
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:
Seattle University also has employees who do sustainability-related work but are not part of a sustainability office or are not considered “sustainability officers.” For example:
--Recycling Coordinator and Compost Technician at SU Facilities (1.0 FTE position)
--Assistant Director Grounds and Waste Management (1.0 FTE position)
Seattle University also has employees who do sustainability-related work but are not part of a sustainability office or are not considered “sustainability officers.” For example:
--Recycling Coordinator and Compost Technician at SU Facilities (1.0 FTE position)
--Assistant Director Grounds and Waste Management (1.0 FTE position)
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.