Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 66.59
Liaison Chris Bond
Submission Date Oct. 30, 2014
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

Unity Environmental University
PA-2: Sustainability Planning

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.67 / 4.00 Steve Kahl
Director of Sustainability
Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have current and formal plans to advance sustainability in the following areas? Do the plans include measurable objectives?:
Current and Formal Plans (Yes or No) Measurable Objectives (Yes or No)
Curriculum Yes Yes
Research (or other scholarship) Yes No
+ Date Revised: Dec. 18, 2014
Campus Engagement Yes No
Public Engagement Yes No
Air and Climate Yes Yes
Buildings Yes No
Dining Services/Food Yes Yes
Energy Yes Yes
Grounds No No
Purchasing No No
Transportation No No
Waste Yes Yes
Water No No
Diversity and Affordability No No
Health, Wellbeing and Work No No
Investment Yes Yes
Other No No

A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Curriculum:

The campus strategic plan calls for full infusion of sustainability across the curriculum, consistent with the college's mission of education in Sustainability Science.


The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Curriculum plan(s):

The time frame is 5 years. Measurable objectives include but are not limited to increasing the number of courses and increasing the number of course syllabi with sustainability learning outcomes specified.


Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Curriculum plan(s):

Provost


A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Research (or other scholarship):

The college has an objective to increase revenue and IDC from research grants though activities of a grant writer and incentives for return of IDC to PIs. Although this goal is clearly spelled out in the new strategic plan, there is no specific measurable objective..

+ Date Revised: Dec. 18, 2014

The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Research plan(s):

n/a


Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Research plan(s):

Provost and Development Office


A brief description of the plan(s) to advance Campus Engagement around sustainability:

The strategic plan includes a major goal of infusing sustainability across all functions and departments of the college to implement sustainability as a complement to the academic mission of sustainability science.


The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Campus Engagement plan:

n/a


Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Campus Engagement plan(s):

Sustainability Office in collaboration with every other major department


A brief description of the plan(s) to advance Public Engagement around sustainability:

Through its strategic plan, the college has embarked on a plan to become a national model for sustainability and sustainability science. This goal includes a major effort around public engagement.


The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Public Engagement plan(s):

The timeframe is 5 years.


Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Public Engagement plan(s):

Provost, Marketing Department, Sustainability Office


A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Air and Climate:

The Board of Trustees has committed to carbon neutrality through the new five year Strategic Plan approved in early 2014.

+ Date Revised: Dec. 18, 2014

The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Air and Climate plan(s):

The measurable objective is carbon neutrality by 2020.


Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Air and Climate plan(s):

President, Executive Vice President, Provost, Sustainability Office


A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Buildings:

Per the plan to become carbon neutral, the Sustainability Office recommends, and has developed a plan, for all new buildings constructed after 2014 to carbon neutral or net zero energy. The recommendation from Sustainability is for retrofits on existing buildings will commence sequentially using on existing base funding and acquisition of grant funding, beginning with the UCCPA grant proposal that is pending. The college is part of the Billion Dollar Green Challenge Fund, an ROI investment fund that is replenished based on energy savings.


The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Buildings plan(s):
---

Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Buildings plan(s):

Facilities Department


A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Dining Services/Food:

The stated goal in the new Strategic Plan is an increase in local food used in dining services to 80%, based in part of the new campus farm and greenhouses.

+ Date Revised: Dec. 18, 2014

The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Dining Services/Food plan(s):

Increase local foods above the current 38% and market local food use to students.


Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Dining Services/Food plan(s):

Dining Services, Sustainable Agriculture Program, and the Sustainability Office


A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Energy:

The Strategic Plan call s for a net zero carbon campus by 2020. Attainment of this goal will be accomplished through reductions in overall energy use and by replacing fossil fuels by heat sources such as air source heat pumps that use electricity that is generated on-campus.


The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Energy plan(s):

Net zero carbon by 2020 will require major improvements in insulation and conservation. The energy plan calls for replacing 100% of oil with electricity and pellet biomass by 2020.


Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Energy plan(s):

Facilities Management in collaboration with the Sustainability Office as overseen by the Executive Vice President.


A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Grounds:

The Sustainability Office has made recommendations for LID stormwater management methods and to increase the acreage in permaculture, as part of the objective in the new strategic plan to evolve to a pedestrian campus from the present condition.

+ Date Revised: Dec. 18, 2014

The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Grounds plan(s):

Evolve to a 'pedestrian' campus in five years

+ Date Revised: Dec. 18, 2014

Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Grounds plan(s):

Facilities Department


A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Purchasing:
---

The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Purchasing plan(s):
---

Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Purchasing plan(s):
---

A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Transportation:

As part of the goal of the new Strategic Plan to become carbon neutral, the plan includes objectives for evolving the campus fleet as new vehicle purchases are made to hybrids, HEVs, diesels (for biodiesel) and electric vehicles.

+ Date Revised: Dec. 18, 2014

The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Transportation plan(s):

The measurable objective is simply to go from 'no' sustainable transportion to 'some' within the timeframe of the strategic plan. We have already piloted biodiesel in our tractor lawnmowers and diesel vehicles and the transition to all B99 in the summer will happen in 2014-15.

+ Date Revised: Dec. 18, 2014

Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Transportation plan(s):

Facilities Department


A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Waste:

The campus just completed the transition to zero sort recycling as part of the goal of the new Strategic Plan to reduce waste and reduce costs of waste disposal.

+ Date Revised: Dec. 18, 2014

The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Waste plan(s):

We project an increase in recycling from 40% to 50% by the end of 2015 due to zero sort.


Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Waste plan(s):

Sustainability Office


A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Water:
---

The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Water plan(s):
---

Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Water plan(s):
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A brief description of the plan(s) to advance Diversity and Affordability:
---

The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Diversity and Affordability plan(s):
---

Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Diversity and Affordability plan(s):
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A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Health, Wellbeing and Work:
---

The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Health, Wellbeing and Work plan(s):
---

Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Health, Wellbeing and Work plan(s):
---

A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Investment:

The college was the first college in the US to divest from fossil fuel investments as voted by the Board of Trustees, making this official institutional policy as specified in the Strategic Plan.

+ Date Revised: Dec. 18, 2014

The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Investment plan(s):

The fossil fuel portion of the endowment will remain comprised of less than 1% of the top 200 fossil fuel companies.

+ Date Revised: Dec. 18, 2014

Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Investment plan(s):

Presidents office, investment committee of the Trustees


A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in other areas:
---

The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the other plan(s):
---

Accountable parties, offices or departments for the other plan(s):
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The institution’s definition of sustainability:

Stewardship of natural resources for permanent economic resiliency of the world ecosystem


Does the institution’s strategic plan or equivalent guiding document include sustainability at a high level?:
Yes

A brief description of how the institution’s strategic plan or equivalent guiding document addresses sustainability:

Sustainability is one of five overarching goals of the newly adopted strategic plan and includes the objective of infusing sustainability across all operational and curricular functions of the school.


The website URL where information about the institution’s sustainability planning is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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