University of Nevada Las Vegas
PAE-4: Sustainability Plan

The Final UNLV Sustainability Task Force Report provides guidance to the UNLV President on how to pursue campus sustainability. There is a need to improve practices and policies that incorporate sustainability. An important recommendation from this group is that the President should approach sustainability as a process that requires continuous planning and assessment, pursued through engagement by the entire campus community and all relevant stakeholders related to the campus. UNLV has already started the process as shown by the efforts of Facilities Management and Planning to improve campus operations, the Focus 50 – 100 Planning process which highlighted the need for UNLV to incorporate aspects of sustainability into education and research, and the establishment of the Office of Urban Sustainability Initiatives that has promoted sustainability research and outreach with on- and off-campus partners. While this is a good starting point, there remains a need to continue and expand sustainability efforts at UNLV. Numerous stakeholders, including the Provost, graduate students, undergraduate students, the Offices of Research, Finance and Business, Planning and Construction, Facilities Management, Purchasing, have played valuable roles in the composition and focus of the Sustainability Task Force's Final Report. The Sustainability Task Force's Final Report needs to be updated. The goal is to create a new and detailed Sustainability Plan using the STARS process as a guide. An undergraduate intern will be assisting with plan under the guidance of the co-chairs of the Sustainability Council. The UNLV Sustainability Council will be an advising entity in the process. The goal is to have the plan completed by December 2011.

Key short term measurable goals include: 1) Signing the President's Climate Commitment. 2) Hiring of a formal campus sustainability coordinator. 3) Completing a greenhouse gas inventory. 4) Formally adopting a policy that prioritizes sustainability in purchasing practices.

We are very pleased to report that all of the short term goals laid out here have been met. Many of these goals are one-time actions, e.g. signing the President's Climate Commitment or hiring a formal campus sustainability coordinator. Others, such as the ongoing green purchasing policy or the periodic visitation of the campus carbon footprint, require a more iterative approach.