Stanford University
PA-2: Sustainability Planning

Stanford embarked on a long-range planning effort in 2017 organized around four key conceptual categories: education, research, our community, and beyond Stanford. The long-range planning effort began with the solicitation of proposals from all campus community members--including students, staff and faculty--between April and June 2017. More information on the planning effort can be found here: https://planning.stanford.edu

A total of 2,800 ideas were submitted, which were analyzed by area steering groups and synthesized into white papers in particular topic areas. The white paper on sustainability can be found here: https://planning.stanford.edu/papers/joint-paper-sustainability

After evaluation of the common themes by campus executive leadership, a vision for the university was announced in spring 2018. As part of this vision, Stanford announced two direct sustainability-related goals: 80 percent carbon-free by 2025 and zero waste by 2030. Several other initiatives—many of which have positive humanitarian impacts—are included in the vision. A summary of the initiatives can be found on the Vision Fact Sheet: https://ourvision.sites.stanford.edu/sites/g/files/sbiybj1261/f/stanford_vision_factsheet.pdf

More information on Stanford's full vision can be found on the vision website: https://ourvision.stanford.edu/

1) R&DE Stanford Dining Sustainable Purchasing Standards - not published online but can be referenced in the Sustainable Dining credit
2) Habitat Conservation Plan - http://hcp.stanford.edu/
3) Water Conservation, Reuse and Recycling Master Plan - https://suwater.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/finalstanfordconservation_recommended_plan10_16_0331.pdf
4) Cardinal Service 2020-- https://haas.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/cs2020_milestones.pdf
5) Sustainable Purchasing—Responsibilities of Purchasing and Contracts Department https://web.stanford.edu/group/fms/fingate/staff/buypaying/policy_notes/sustainable_purchase.html#respn_purchasing
7) Stanford Management Company: Ethical Investment Framework: https://smc.stanford.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/SMC-Ethical-Investment-Framework.pdf.

Stanford’s formal vision, derived from its recent long-range planning process, announces several new initiatives to improve curriculum, many of which are related to sustainability. Specific initiatives are highlighted below:

1) Infuse ethical and societal considerations into our role in the technology revolution by ensuring students are equipped to address societal and ethical impacts of the technologies they develop, apply, or use.
2) Encourage exploration and a shared intellectual experience in undergraduate academics
3) Design majors for the 21st century to enable a broad and deep academic experience that crosses disciplines and cultures
4) Build creative confidence and personal capabilities to navigate a dynamic future
5) Forge directional pathways for learning outside the classroom and off campus
6) Partner with other educational institutions to extend access to learning
7) Explore additional opportunities for online and extended learning

Stanford’s formal vision, derived from its recent long-range planning process, announces several new initiatives to improve research, many of which are related to sustainability. Specific initiatives are highlighted below:

1) Spark discovery, creativity and knowledge related to the Natural World to deepen understanding of the physical world and of life through imaging, probing, modeling, theory and design
2) Accelerate applications by establishing a Social Problem-Solving Accelerator to push the frontiers of social science and to craft solutions and policies for challenging societal issues such as economic opportunity, polarization and ineffective institutions
3) Accelerate applications by establishing an Innovative Medicines Accelerator to accelerate translation of breakthroughs in understanding disease mechanisms into innovative therapies and cures
4) Infuse ethical and societal considerations into our role in the technology revolution by encouraging exploration of societal and ethical consequences of scientific and technological advances (ex. genome editing, ubiquity of social media, autonomous vehicles) to accelerate benefits and address challenges
5) Empower faculty and schools with resources to create novel approaches to ethical considerations
6) Support research on learning to improve educational opportunity and outcomes for all learners, at Stanford and beyond
7) Produce and exchange scholarship and innovations in learning with other educators nationally and globally

Stanford’s formal vision, derived from its recent long-range planning process, announces several new initiatives to improve campus engagement, many of which are related to sustainability. Specific initiatives are highlighted below:

1) Expand stakeholder engagement in policy development and governance
2) Enhance communication and ongoing engagement across our community
3) Enhance personal development initiatives among the Stanford community, including professional development opportunities for staff and faculty and community learning programs for personal development
4) Revisit the master space plan to foster community, including reimagining White Plaza as a vibrant gathering place
5) Introduce programming to encourage connections among faculty, academic staff, students, postdocs, staff, alumni and trustees
6) Unite our campuses and satellite work centers
7) Utilize Stanford as a Lab initiatives to enhance operational excellence and accountability, including exploring methods to achieve two campus goals: 80% carbon-free by 2025 and zero waste by 2030
8) Address “Decentralization: Too Much of a Good Thing?”

Stanford’s formal vision, derived from its recent long-range planning process, sets the goal of purposeful engagement with our region, nation and world. This goal includes initiatives such as:

1) Improve sustainability in the Bay Area and the world by developing transportable solutions with regional partners, including the use of Stanford as a Lab
2) Improve precision health in the Bay Area and the world by developing transportable solutions with regional partners for preventive and population health
3) Expand opportunities for public service and civic engagement for our entire community, building on Cardinal Service
4) Enhance our local community through the arts, healthcare, education and athletics; and collaborate with local partners on sustainability, affordability, housing and transportation challenges
5) Engage in problem-solving on the dynamics of the divisions of our nation
6) Launch a Global Advisory Council of external experts to advise on strategy in collaboration with faculty and building on existing programs

Expanding upon (3) above, sustainability offerings are integrated into each component of the new Cardinal Service offerings through the Haas Center for Public Service as described in the Cardinal Service 2020 plan listed above. These program offerings are: Cardinal Quarter, Cardinal Commitment, Cardinal Courses, and Cardinal Careers. Sustainability as an element of the Cardinal Service program is specifically described in the Pathways of Public Service and Civic Engagement section of this plan. The specific objectives for each of these Cardinal Service program components for the year 2020 are described in the 2020 Milestones section of this plan.

Stanford's original Energy and Climate Plan was released in 2009, establishing the three key areas of focus for energy and emissions reductions: new construction, existing buildings, and the campus energy supply. The plan was subsequently updated in 2013 and 2015 as state and national policies changed and Stanford adapted its policies and practices in these three key areas. A summary of the Stanford Energy System Innovations (SESI) project, which is the primary component of the Energy and Climate Plan that addresses Air & Climate, is provided below. Summaries of the other two components (new construction and existing buildings) are provided in the Buildings category.

STANFORD ENERGY SYSTEM INNOVATIONS (SESI)
Between 1987 and 2015, Stanford relied on a natural gas-fired combined heat and power (CHP) plant for virtually all its energy demand. Although efficient, its fossil-fuel based source caused the CHP to produce 90% of Stanford’s GHG emissions and consume 25% of the campus’ potable water supply. As a result, Stanford’s GHG reduction strategy focused primarily on transforming the university’s energy supply through a new Central Energy Facility (CEF).

The new CEF based on district level heat recovery, which came online in April 2015, includes three large water tanks for thermal energy storage and a high voltage substation that receives electricity from the grid. A key feature of the CEF is an innovative heat recovery system that takes advantage of Stanford’s overlap in heating and cooling needs. This new system is 70% more efficient than the CHP plant. In addition to the CEF, the SESI project converted the heat supply of all buildings from steam to hot water. The efficiencies gained from the new CEF and hot water conversion, along with the introduction of a 67 MW off-site solar plant and 5 MW of on-site solar, reducing the university’s overall GHG emissions by approximately 68% between 2011 and 2017.

Moreover, a recently announced, 88 MW off-site solar plant will take the university to a 100% renewable electricity supply and will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% from peak levels by 2021. For more information, visit https://news.stanford.edu/2018/12/03/stanford-go-100-percent-solar-2021/.

As described in the Energy and Climate Plan, two of Stanford's key strategies for reducing campus energy consumption pertain to the construction of new high-performance buildings as the campus continues to grow and retrofits to existing buildings through a number of retrofit and recommissioning programs. Both are described in more detail below.

All three key components of the Energy and Climate Plan (new construction, existing buildings, and the campus energy system) address reductions in energy use on campus. Refer to the summaries in the Air & Climate and Buildings categories for descriptions of the specific strategies and objectives that fall within each of these categories.

The R&DE Stanford Dining Sustainable Purchasing Standards guide all purchases for Stanford dining halls and catering services. These are reviewed on an annual basis by the Sustainable Food Program Manager. The following strategic objectives are published for the Sustainable Food Program:

1) Develop additional food-related curricula with faculty that explore theoretical frameworks through the lens of meaningful, practical, and hands-on experiences
2) Continue to design awareness events and ongoing sustainability campaigns that align with and support the program’s strategic partners
3) Expand opportunities for students to design, implement, and manage Sustainable Food Program initiative
4) Establish an ongoing initiative with faculty, researchers and student groups to implement creative design solutions that promote and encourage healthy and sustainable eating habits and behaviors in dining halls
5) Fully integrate culinary standards and sustainable food purchasing metrics into internal reporting processes
6) Achieve 100 percent transparency for all food purchases, including origin, production method, ownership structure and labor practices.

Additionally, a master plan for campus restaurants, cafes, and retail food services at Stanford was developed in 2006 based on a study performed by a consultant on the current situation of campus restaurants, cafes, and retail food services at Stanford. The goals of the master plan were to:
1) Understand the impact of adding new retail locations as desired by various academic constituencies
2) Improve resource utilization (space & capital)
3) Provide a “level playing field” and platform for service provider success.

Key findings in performing market research for the master plan were that the campus community (especially faculty, staff, and graduate students) were looking for healthier and less expensive food options. Accordingly, the Advisory Committee, reporting to the Provost, was formed to provide outreach, education, management tools, and contract guidelines to the campus community. In 2014, the Provost’s Committee on Sustainability evaluated methods of integrating standardized recycling and composting protocols into these café contracts.

Stanford's Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP), completed in December 2011 and formally released with the final National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) document in November 2012, establishes a comprehensive conservation program that protects, restores and enhances habitat areas; monitors and reports on covered species populations; and avoids and minimizes impacts on species and their habitats. The HCP also provides major new commitments of land protection, personnel, and resources dedicated to habitat conservation. The goals of the HCP include: (1) comply with the federal Endangered Species Act; (2) support Stanford's mission as a research and teaching institution; (3) coordinate multiple conservation actions; and (4) provide a 50-year framework to plan for future land use and to promote all phases of conservation. Stanford's habitat conservation strategies include: (1) concentrate conservation efforts in high-priority areas; (2) establish long-term habitat protection; (3) protect and restore riparian areas; (4) enhance habitat areas; (5) implement a conservation credit system; and (6) perform monitoring and adaptive management practices. http://hcp.stanford.edu

The R&DE Stanford Dining Sustainable Purchasing Standards guide all purchases for Stanford dining halls and catering services. These are reviewed on an annual basis by the Sustainable Food Program Manager and new purchasing objectives are added each year accordingly.

Additionally, Stanford’s Procurement Department made the following commitments towards sustainability in 2011:

1. Implement Campus Wide Programs (CWA)
2. Review all contracts for Environmentally Preferable Products (EPP)
3. Consult with all departments and communicate industry changes
4. Require the use of recycled materials and products in RFP’s where applicable
5. Purchase from suppliers that provide EPP products and services
6. Seek new suppliers and work with existing suppliers to reduce waste in packaging
7. Use cost/benefit analysis and life cycle cost when sourcing
8. Make suppliers aware of our commitments
9. Develop tools to track and measure our effort
10. Utilize the sustainable Procurement checklist
11. Participate in training to increase campus awareness

These commitments are outlined on the Sustainable Purchasing website in the “Responsibilities of Purchasing and Contracts Department” section in this link: https://web.stanford.edu/group/fms/fingate/staff/buypaying/policy_notes/sustainable_purchase.html#respn_purchasing A major component of the Procurement Department’s plan for enforcing these commitments has been to conduct a robust spend analysis, organizing all of Stanford’s purchases into major spend categories. The department has started to systematically address each of these categories by benchmarking current performance and committing to improvements in sustainability, affordability, and customer service. For example, for Print Management, Stanford is transitioning to one service contract that aims to replace personal printers with energy efficient shared printers at 25 to 1 printer to person ratio, drastically reducing the energy consumption due to printing. Sustainability performance will be tracked through a number of metrics, including paper consumption, printer quantity and energy consumption, and toner recycling. More information can be found here: https://uit.stanford.edu/news/new-year-new-way-print

The Sustainable Development Study, in conjunction with Stanford's General Use Permit, puts forth a plan for "no net new trips" to and from Stanford's campus during peak commuting hours in order to reduce congestion on campus and within the surrounding area. To accomplish this major objective, Stanford's Parking & Transportation program has established a robust Transportation Demand Management program that focuses on implementation of bike programs, promotion of alternative transportation, and the ongoing Commute Club for employees who do not drive alone to work. These programs are described in more detail in the Support for Sustainable Transportation credit.

As part of Stanford's formal vision linked above, the university set the goal in spring 2018 to achieve Zero Waste by 2030. There are many programs currently in place to support this goal, as discussed in the Waste Minimization and Diversion credit. Plans to accomplish the zero waste goal also include the introduction of new and expanded waste reduction & diversion programs in the coming years. The specific Zero Waste by 2030 plan is underway and will be finalized in the coming year. The plan follows the waste hierarchy of prioritizing reduction and reuse, followed by recycling and rot (compost), and will incorporate upstream solutions related to purchasing and contracts. The new plan will also have a robust education and outreach program to engage the community so that reducing, reusing, recycling, and composting become an ingrained set of behaviors.

Stanford’s waste reduction, recycling, composting, and solid waste program now serves all academic and athletic areas, Residential & Dining Enterprises (R&DE), Faculty Staff Housing, Stanford University Medical Center, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, and all associated construction sites. The university is actively expanding its recycling and composting collection activities, especially working to identify new markets for waste materials and recyclables in the face of the Chinese waste ban. Efforts to minimize campus waste have significantly reduced the total amount of material Stanford sends to landfill: 8,190 tons in 2017, for a diversion rate of 63%, compared to a peak of 14,000 tons in 1998.

The Water Conservation, Reuse and Recycling Master Plan was developed in 2003 based on a comprehensive study of Stanford’s water use trends. It considers domestic water from the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, Stanford’s Lake Water System, and reclaimed water availability, and it considers both existing water conservation programs at the time and projected water use trends both campus-wide and by department to determine appropriate future water conservation, reuse, and recycling measures. The master plan lays out a total of 14 feasible water efficiency measures, many of which have been implemented to date. For instance, ultra-low flush toilet replacement, showerhead retrofits and urinal replacement were the top three recommendations, all of which have been implemented by Stanford and have contributed to the 44% decrease in potable water consumption since 2000. Additional steps in the master plan include Faculty/Staff Housing Water Audits and converting the football practice fields to lake (non-potable) water irrigation, a measure that is currently being considered.

Stanford’s formal vision, derived from its recent long-range planning process, announces several new initiatives to improve diversity, equity, access and affordability. Specific initiatives are highlighted below.

IDEAL (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Access in a Learning Community)
1) Enhance onboarding and advising
2) Ensure majors and other educational experiences are accessible to students regardless of background and incoming preparation
3) Develop curricular content and pedagogy that embrace difference
4) Become a site of scholarship to foster the goals of IDEAL at Stanford and for other learning communities
5) Improve data transparency to monitor and guide our progress and advance research

AFFORDABILITY
Stanford is intent on pursuing decisive steps to enable our community to thrive. Specific initiatives set forth in the plan are highlighted below:

1) Increase need-based financial assistance for parents of graduate students
2) Expand on-campus graduate housing
3) Increase minimum salary for postdocs to $60K per year, with need-based mitigation funds for PIs
4) Enhance need-based Financial Hardship Fund to help with childcare and housing costs for postdocs
5) Enhance the loan program for faculty housing
6) Expand the staff salary program
7) Expand satellite work centers for staff
8) Revisit the staff work from home policy
9) Explore transportation improvements to ease commute
10) Create an Affordability Task Force that will deliver concrete recommendations by mid-2019

To expand on (10) above, The Affordability Task Force has been established to address the most concerning and complex affordability challenges faced by the local community. The task force is charged with developing a set of sustainable, wide-spread, data-informed recommendations to address near- and long-term affordability issues for the university’s populations who are most impacted by these regional challenges. Topics to be considered include housing, child care, transportation, and benefits. The first step of the Affordability Task Force was to administer a campus-wide survey in early 2019 to collect input and feedback on affordability issues and how they personally affect our community members.

Finally, in 2016, Stanford submitted a strategic growth plan to Santa Clara County for an updated General Use Permit to authorize the next phase of campus land use in the coming years. The process of compiling the General Use Permit application involves internal examination of the university’s academic and space needs as well as formal consultation with neighbors and community partners. The General Use Permit includes specific conditions to minimize impacts of Stanford’s development through methods such as sustainable growth and contributing to regional affordability. In the area of affordability specifically, this new plan includes a request to build new on-campus housing developments for Stanford undergraduates, graduates, faculty and staff. This allows the university to contribute to housing affordability in the region by providing additional supply. Stanford's specific proposed objective is to construct 3,150 net new on-campus housing units for students, faculty, and staff between 2018 and 2035.

Stanford has had an investment responsibility policy - the Statement on Investment Responsibility - since 1971, which has been amended several times since. In 2018, an Ethical Investment Framework was added. This framework was developed by the Stanford Management Company (SMC) leadership and approved by the Board of Trustees and outlines how ethical considerations, such as climate change (which is specifically used as an example), are factored into investment decisions. Measureable objectives from this framework include:

1) Design and execute an investment strategy that maximizes risk-adjusted investment returns over long periods of time, allowing the University to fulfill its legal obligations to endowment donors and support the educational and research needs of present and future generations of students and scholars
2) Understand the medium and long-term prospects of each asset class and their relationship to each other, including how they may be altered by ethical and social factors, particularly related to public goods such as clean air or water
3) Incorporate the risks associated with carbon when considering conventional energy holdings and account for externalities associated with burning hydrocarbons
4) Invest in businesses that provide highly valuable goods and services to the world
5) Reinforce attention to ethical and social factors that impact security-level investments with SMC partners
6) Carefully evaluate the character and sensibilities of potential partners when considering a new partner relationship
7) Comply with “prudent investor” rules, which require trustees of financial assets to consider any factors that may affect the long-term economic interests of their beneficiaries
8) Implement divestment decisions directed by the Board of Trustees with discipline

Stanford’s formal vision, derived from its recent long-range planning process, announces new initiatives to improve community wellness. Specific initiatives are highlighted below.

1) Strengthen resources for mental and physical well-being and safety among students
2) Enhance personal development among the Stanford community, including enhanced wellness support for the community as a whole

Currently, Stanford's Health Improvement Program provides Stanford employees, families, retirees, and surrounding communities with tools to improve their health. The Health Improvement Program plan can be found online here: http://med.stanford.edu/hip/about/mission.html.

The measurable objectives of the Health Improvement Program include:

1) Serve as an organizational role model in the field of health promotion.
2) With a strong foundation in science, use best practices to develop and deliver program offerings
3) Promote self-efficacy as the key to achieving health goals.
4) Support a holistic view of wellness.
5) Believe that program participants can serve as effective “agents of change.”
6) Respect the diversity of the individuals served.
7) Encourage participants to accept their current levels of wellness and lifestyle behaviors as they work along a continuum of readiness towards optimal health.
8) Approach health from a non-judgmental viewpoint.
9) Advocate a gradual approach to support sustainable behavior change.
10) Be a collaborative organization.
11) Remove barriers to wellness.
12) Empower individuals to make educated choices concerning their lifestyle behaviors and their use of the medical system.
13) Demonstrate the impact of health promotion programs.
14) Support the missions of the Stanford Prevention Research Center (SPRC), Stanford Department of Medicine, Stanford School of Medicine, and Stanford University.

Stanford’s formal vision, derived from its recent long-range planning process, announces new initiatives to improve research into specific areas related to arts and technology that are meant to positively impact our world’s future. Specific initiatives are highlighted below.

1) Spark discovery, creativity and knowledge related to the Changing Human Experience to deepen understanding of humanity past, present and future through thought, cultures, the arts, institutions and behaviors
2) Shape the digital future through Data@Stanford to harness the explosion of new data to advance all fields of research
3) Shape the digital future through human-centered artificial intelligence to advance development of AI and to tackle its ethical and societal impacts

Stanford’s Board of Trustees have issued several statements affirming Stanford’s commitment to addressing climate change. A few examples are linked below:

Stanford and climate change: A statement of the Board of Trustees: https://news.stanford.edu/2016/04/25/stanford-climate-change-statement-board-trustees/

Stanford issues statement on climate change ahead of Paris conference: https://news.stanford.edu/2015/10/28/climate-change-statement-102815/