University of Cincinnati
PA-2: Sustainability Planning

UC's 2019 Sustainability and Climate Action Plan included a number of measurable objectives related to academics. Among them:
- Work with every college across the institution to host a co-curricular sustainability lecture or presentation, highlighting esteemed work and perspectives from their respective field annually
- Increase participation in the Office of Sustainability's Environmental Literacy Certificate of Achievement.
- Increase the number of research based projects or competitions that requires students and faculty from different departments and colleges to collaborate.
- Get a mandatory Open Access policy passed through the Faculty Senate.
See more at: https://www.uc.edu/about/admin-finance/planning-design-construction/sustainability/carbon-inventory-&-climate-action-plan.html

UC's 2019 Sustainability and Climate Action Plan included a number of measurable objectives related to enaggement. Among them:
- Create a green office program where various administrative offices can champion sustainability efforts.
- Create a Green Event checklist and undertake an outreach campaign to promote its usage by UC departments.
- Continue to host the Living in the Neighborhood Series, providing multiple annual opportunities for students to learn about
what it truly means to be a good neighborhood and member of the community.
https://www.uc.edu/about/admin-finance/planning-design-construction/sustainability/carbon-inventory-&-climate-action-plan.html

UC's 2019 Sustainability and Climate Action Plan included a number of measurable objectives related to operations. Among them:
- Work with Cincinnati 2030 District to reduce building energy use, water consumption, and transportation emissions by 50% by the year 2030.
- Establish and herbicide reduction policy.
- Transition 100% of current grab and go program disposable containers to biodegradable (compostable) corn-based plastic containers
See:
https://www.uc.edu/about/admin-finance/planning-design-construction/sustainability/carbon-inventory-&-climate-action-plan.html

UC's Utilities Master Plan also includes measurable sustainability objectives. These include (among others):
- Reduce Scope 1 and Scope 2 carbon emissions by 20% by close of FY24, with FY11 as the baseline year.
- Cap Utility plant total energy consumption at FY11 levels.
- Reduce potable water consumption used for plant operations and that used for irrigation by 20% by June 30, 2025 (FY25) on a gallon per campus square foot basis, with FY15 as the baseline year.
See https://www.uc.edu/content/dam/refresh/af-62/facilities-utilities/UC%20Utilities%20Sustainability%20Plan.pdf

Next Lives Here, UC's strategic plan, rests on multiple objectives related to diversity, equity and inclusion. Among them:
- Increase the diversity and size of faculty to enhance the student experience.
- Instill in our community a sense of belonging, a sense of agency, enhanced cultural competency, and a culture of accountability [as measured by responses to ongoing Community Experience assessments.]

For more, see https://www.uc.edu/about/strategic-direction/innovation-agenda/inclusive-excellence.html and https://www.uc.edu/about/strategic-direction/academic-excellence/faculty-investment.html

Recognizing its environmental stewardship role, the University of Cincinnati seeks to incorporate the concept of sustainability into its academic and research programs; the design, operation, and maintenance of its buildings and landscapes; and its organizational structure and management; while preserving safety and comfort.

Sustainability can be described as each of us doing our part to build the kind of world—economically, environmentally and socially—that we want to live in, and one that we want our children and grandchildren to inherit. It means becoming aware of all interconnections—visible and invisible—in which our day-to-day choices affect the intricate balance of social, economic and ecological systems. https://www.uc.edu/about/admin-finance/planning-design-construction/sustainability.html

The University of Cincinnati is a member of AASHE and conducts STARS reports every three years, additionally, UC is a member of Second Nature's Climate Leadership Network, and submits public carbon footprint reports annually on the SIMAP Public Reporting platform. UC is also a member of the Cincinnati 2030 District, and has committed to reducing emissions from energy usage, water usage, and transportation by 50% from a 2010 baseline by the year 2030.

Next Lives Here is UC’s strategic direction. It is not a static document, but a set of aspirations that are being pursued across UC. The webpages associated with Next Lives Here constitute UC's "highest guiding document." Next Lives Here features sustainability both explicitly and implicitly. It has three major pillars: Academic Excellence, Urban Impact, and Innovation Agenda. Each pillar in turn has two or three major initiatives.

Advancing sustainability is an explicit objective of the Urban Impact pillar. See https://www.uc.edu/about/strategic-direction/urban-impact.html

"Urban Futures" is an initiative of the Urban Impact pillar.
See https://www.uc.edu/about/strategic-direction/urban-impact/urban-futures.html
and
https://ucurbanfutures.com/

It objectives are outlined as follows:
"At the center of our Bioscience effort are researchers pushing the boundaries of discovery in digital medicine, biomaterials and medical devices. Our Bioeconomy effort brings cross-disciplinary teams together to address critical questions around natural resource sustainability at the nexus of food, energy, and water. UC is partnering with leaders in industry working toward a green, clean future, to grow Green and Clean Technologies that have the potential to positively impact people’s lives and our local economy."

Sustainability is also an implicit/related goal in the the other two pillars. These focus on 1) Innovation, which includes innovation around many of the challenges outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals, and 2) Inclusive Excellence, which is focused on reducing inequality and providing quality education.