| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 81.02 |
| Liaison | Sam Lubow |
| Submission Date | June 29, 2016 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Stanford University
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Moira
Hafer Sustainability Specialist Office of Sustainability |
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:
Administrators, faculty, staff, and students throughout the university are working to research and implement sustainability. The Office of Sustainability connects campus organizations and entities and works collaboratively with them to steer sustainability initiatives to fulfill President Hennessy’s vision that sustainability will "become a core value in everything we do." The Office works on long-range sustainability analysis and planning, evaluations and reporting, communication and outreach, academic integration, conservation behavior and training, sustainability governance strategy, and business systems. The key dimensions of the collaborative governance model for sustainability at Stanford are listed below.
STUDENT SUSTAINABILITY WORKING GROUP (established in 2015)
Stanford students have a long-standing history of sustainability leadership. From starting the campus recycling program in 1978 to petitioning for fossil fuel divestment in 2015, students have proven their ability to set ambitious goals and build partnerships to achieve them. Beginning in Fall 2015, the Office of Sustainability formed a Student Sustainability Working Group (SSWG) to support the culture of student innovation and collaboration on campus. Every month, SSWG brings together students, academic staff, and sustainability staff to share updates, solicit project feedback, and brainstorm partnership opportunities. By increasing communication and project support among organizations, SSWG will help ensure a cohesive approach to sustainability at Stanford.
PROVOST'S COMMITTEE ON SUSTAINABILITY (established in 2012)
The Provost's Committee on Sustainability, an executive committee of deans, institute leads and senior campus leadership, began formally convening starting in the 2012-13 academic year. The committee facilitates collaboration across schools, institutes, the Office of Sustainability, and students; exerts leadership across campus; brings campus-wide sustainability issues to the attention of the Provost and the President; and implements leadership recommendations. Formation of the Provost's Committee is the outcome of one of the many key recommendations derived from the year-long strategic exercise, Sustainability 3.0, unveiled in May 2012.
SUSTAINABILITY WORKING GROUP (established in 2006)
The Sustainability Working Group (SWG) prepares policy and program recommendations to advance and implement sustainability practices on campus. Goals include:
(1) Continuously improve Stanford’s leadership in demonstrating environmental sustainability in campus operations.
(2) Use faculty, staff and student expertise in the evolving field of sustainability.
(3) Advance opportunities for hands-on sustainability-related learning and service in the campus community.
SWG, chaired by the director of the Office of Sustainability, meets on the first Thursday of every month and involves representatives from all parts of the university.
SUSTAINABILITY WORKING TEAMS (established in 2008)
The Sustainability Working Teams, assembled in 2008, develop program recommendations, assess progress, and help implement policy recommendations in major operational areas related to sustainability. The teams are composed of campus subject matter experts, representatives from key Stanford community groups, and individuals with authority to take action in the relevant operational areas. Each team activates when a specific initiative is underway and may be dormant when a given project has been implemented.
Members of each committee, including affiliations and role (e.g. staff, student, or faculty):
The membership of Stanford's Sustainability Working group and Sustainability Working Teams are too numerous to list here, but include faculty, staff, students, and key senior administrators. Contact information for the chairs of each committee can be found on the Sustainable Stanford website at http://sustainable.stanford.edu/governance.
Membership of Stanford's Student Sustainability Working group includes leadership of student sustainability clubs, staff and faculty, and other community members interested in helping to further sustainability initiatives on campus.
Does the institution have at least one sustainability office that includes more than 1 full-time equivalent (FTE) employee?:
A brief description of each sustainability office:
Sustainability and Energy Management (SEM), a department within Land, Buildings & Real Estate (LBRE), leads initiatives in campus infrastructure and programs in energy and climate, water, transportation, green buildings, and sustainable information technology, as well as various special initiatives. All of SEM's projects are centered around the long-term sustainability of the campus, and many of the employees within each of SEM's various groups focus exclusively on sustainability as part of their daily work. For example, the Office of Sustainability is housed in SEM. Complementing operational efficiency measures undertaken by campus facilities managers, distinct and education-oriented programmatic initiatives spearheaded by the Office of Sustainability make sustainability more actionable and visible throughout the campus community.
New in 2015, Stanford's Office of Sustainability brought in a Business Systems Manager and Sustainability Analyst to facilitate the applicability of Stanford's Utilities, Metering, Billing, Reporting and Sustainability (UMBRS) project among the Department of Sustainability & Energy Management. To date, the UMBRS project has allowed the creation of a central database that houses data from all utility meters on campus. The new Business Systems positions in the Office of Sustainability will ensure that all users in the Department of Sustainability & Energy Management are able to use this meter data to benchmark and improve their sustainability and conservation programs and will facilitate sustainability reporting across utility sectors.
Please note, SEM employs 95 staff members, including 5 who work in the Office of Sustainability and 21 who work directly on sustainability initiatives within other SEM groups. However, there are hundreds of other professionals throughout the Stanford community involved with sustainability projects in their daily work, some of whom are listed on the staff page of the Sustainable Stanford website. (http://sustainable.stanford.edu/program_staff)
Full-time equivalent (FTE) 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 (e.g. a campus-wide committee or an officer/office responsible for the entire campus)?:
A brief description of the activities and substantive accomplishments of the institution-wide coordinating body or officer during the previous three years:
Details on the campus-wide governance model for sustainability at Stanford are provided above and available at http://sustainable.stanford.edu/governance. There have been numerous activities and substantive accomplishments from Stanford's various sustainability committees. A sample of major achievements is provided below, and a record of SWG meeting agendas can be found at the link provided above.
SUSTAINABILITY 3.0 STRATEGIC PLANNING
A group of faculty, staff, and student leaders initiated Sustainability 3.0 in June 2011 with the plan to deliver a strategic blueprint for the future of sustainability at Stanford. The Sustainability 3.0 process sought to identify and map a shared and actionable vision for sustainability at Stanford over the subsequent ten years, building on the Initiative on Environment and Sustainability that launched in October 2003 and the formalization of Sustainable Stanford that began in 2007.
Major goals stemming from the Sustainability 3.0 effort include leading sustainability by example by offering sustainability trainings to the campus community and maintaining a global influence through sustainability in research, education, and operations. To achieve these goals, the planning committee unveiled four key strategies:
(1) Ensure that sustainability is a top and lasting priority for Stanford University in research, teaching, and action.
(2) Establish clear policies for implementing sustainability in every part of campus: implement, monitor, and achieve.
(3) Educate and train the Stanford community to work towards sustainability goals and build a fully committed and engaged community.
(4) Reach beyond Stanford. Influence sustainability research, education, and action beyond the university.
For more information, please visit the following websites:
http://sustainable.stanford.edu/sites/sustainable.stanford.edu/files/documents/Sustainability3.0_Summary_2012.pdf
http://sustainable.stanford.edu/vision
CELEBRATING SUSTAINABILITY
Sustainability 3.0 planning outcomes were unveiled to the university community at the inaugural Celebrating Sustainability event held on May 7, 2012 at Paul Brest Hall. Members of the planning committee unveiled the common goals, strategies, and actions that will guide sustainability at Stanford in future years. Celebrating Sustainability is now an annual event. Visit http://sustainable.stanford.edu/celebrate.
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):
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives 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.