University of New Hampshire
PA-2: Sustainability Planning

The Future of UNH: Four Strategic Priorities include following:
• Enhance Student Success and Well-Being: including that UNH will ensure that all students are engaged and ethical global citizens;
• Expand Academic and Research Excellence: including that the university will be known and respected for the high caliber of teaching, research and advising in its academic programs. Its distinguished research, scholarship and doctoral education will be recognized worldwide, including its contributions to global sustainability challenges.
• Embrace New Hampshire: including that UNH will build collaborations that support New Hampshire’s economy and quality of life, sustainability and resilience and will be a trusted, valuable and consistent partner.
• Build Financial Strength: including UNH will be a national leader in long-term cost management, sustainable investing and aligning its budget and resources with its strategic priorities.

These aspirational goals and associated initiatives are tracked by a set of nine academic performance metrics that include the following https://www.unh.edu/main/future-of-unh

• Sustainability: UNH’s most up to date STARS numeric score and rating.
• Students participating in high-impact educational practices
• Research funding per faculty member within stated initiative to grow our national sustainability position

The Future of UNH Four Strategic Priorities include the following commitments

• Embrace New Hampshire: including that UNH will build collaborations that support New Hampshire’s economy and quality of life, sustainability and resilience and will be a trusted, valuable, and consistent partner including partnering with the state and other statewide organization to promote diversity, equity and inclusion across New Hampshire.
• Enhance Student Success and Well-Being: including growing the Changemaker Fellowship, which engages high school seniors as soon as they are accepted and engages them for four years with a focus on sustainability and the Sustainable Development Goals in support of a goal is to increase retention to above 90 percent across all demographic groups.
• Expand Academic and Research Excellence: including a commitment to renew STARS Platinum designation, including continuation of a UNH-wide sustainability survey and the design and implementation of a professional development module to all faculty, staff, and students.

The UNH Climate Action Plan (WildCAP) UNH’s new climate action plan, WildCAP 2021, was developed by the Energy Task Force over more than two years. WildCAP 2021 sets ambitious new greenhouse gas reduction goals for the university and outlines goals and strategies for a campus-wide effort to rapidly cut emissions and also includes university-wide engagement objectives:
• WildCAP Climate Action Plan: including the successful filling of a new “Campus Steward” position as well as “Campus Energy Manager” with university-wide participation from active sustainability stakeholders and updating of staff job descriptions to reflect roles and responsibilities in our sustainable learning community.
• WildCAP Climate Action Plan: including the following areas of campus engagement: Ensure modules in student and employee orientation and UNH admissions tour about UNH’s climate and sustainability goals, achievements, efforts, and opportunities for participation are updated and offered annually; increase programs run in the residence halls by the Sustainability Advocates, institute a new campus-wide NHBSR Climate Change Challenge to be offered to/though employee peer-educators: develop a shared resource hub and a system for sharing information across organizations about ongoing projects, campaigns, opportunities for involvement, volunteer and resource needs and availability, and networking opportunities between groups; and Support faculty in students in research, and placements for Sustainability Fellows and interns that advance renewable energy technologies and policies. Lend UNH’s institutional weight to advocacy efforts for public policies that advance equitable renewable energy development.

As noted above The UNH Climate Action Plan (WildCAP) UNH’s new climate action plan, WildCAP 2021, was developed by the Energy Task Force over more than two years. WildCAP 2021 sets ambitious new greenhouse gas reduction goals for the university and outlines goals and strategies for a campus-wide effort to rapidly cut emissions including those related to campus operations. Objectives include:

• Specifically considering its footprint from Scopes 1 and 2 sources, UNH is committing to a 75% reduction from 2010 levels by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions for these sources as rapidly as possible, with a target year of no later than 2050

These objectives will be pursued through five strategies

• Develop innovative plans for how we utilize our campus space in creative and flexible ways to engage in teaching, research, service and engagement with space utilization incorporated into the fall 2021 Campus Master Plan Update.
• Improve building energy efficiency by 25%
• Explore long-term renewable energy supplies
• Accelerate electrification of the UNH fleet
• Promote commuting, business travel and other scope 3 reductions.

https://unh.app.box.com/s/h1ax4wcagbn1otsbez1f8lima986vboc

2021 Landscape Master Plan Update establishes a framework for sustainable and resilient design, planning, landscape management and project management practices. Additionally, it sets specific standards for land use planning as well as best management practices within the university’s footprint in terms of storm water, plant material selection and paving strategies.

To facilitate the creation and evolution of such “living plans,” the Ecosystem Task Force shall work with three Working Groups/Committees who can bring to bear the expertise of staff, faculty, and others in the UNH community:

• A Botanical Management Working Group
• A Watershed Protection Working Group
• The Committee on Woodlands and Natural Areas

Working groups will inform a range of policies and practices such as

• Updates to the campus Planning Design and Construction Guidelines
• Updates to the Landscape Management for Project Managers workbook, used by the Campus Stewardship groups, that codify best management practices

The UNH Transportation Policy Committee, recommendations to update the university's 2003 foundational transportation policies, was approved by President Dean in April 2019. The update builds on our Transportation Demand Management strategy adopted in 2003 and re-affirms it’s core principles to:

• enhance policies, practices and infrastructure which support UNH sustainability goals, climate commitments and unique identity as a walking campus and town community
• leverage new technologies and operations which optimize pedestrian, transit and parking conditions
• design revenue systems which ensure proper maintenance of UNH parking and transportation infrastructure, while discouraging single-occupancy car trips when more efficient alternatives exist
• enhance visitor and outside community member access and participation in the University
• ensure system flexibility to respond to future changes in the campus plan, local development, community demographics, accessibility needs, environmental practices, and relevant technologies
• continue data-driven reviews of policy and practice to maintain a transportation system that is responsive to the needs of the community

These core principles underpin detailed recommendations and goals addressed in plan impacting infrastructure, policies, emissions, land use, and aesthetics.

See: https://unh.app.box.com/s/oo8prre596vs50kmsmokadz03k69uj7z

UNH Dining Services has extended its UNH Dining Sustainability Plan 2017-2020 due to the pandemic and will be updating in the coming year. Dining continues to advance key goals of that plan including:

1. Develop and implement an improved tracking system for sustainable food purchases
2. In order to support sustainable food purchases, amend RFPs for distributors to include preferences regarding supplier traceability and sourcing flexibility
3. Partner with the UNH Sustainability Institute to increase local and regional produce procurement by enhancing or developing new relationships with farms, food hubs, and/or distributors
4. Continue pursuing innovative strategies to reduce red meat and increase fruit, vegetable, and whole grain purchases
See: https://www.unh.edu/dining/sustainability/sustainable-efforts

See: https://www.unh.edu/sustainability/grounds

The University of New Hampshire is committed to building and nurturing an environment of inclusive excellence where all students, faculty, and staff can thrive. We also are committed to providing open and inclusive access for all alumni, volunteers, learners, employees, and visitors seeking to participate in our programs and activities. We venture to sustain a campus environment that fosters mutual respect and understanding. We believe diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion are foundational values inextricably linked to achieving our core educational mission; and we embrace the many characteristics of our community members that make them uniquely themselves. See https://www.unh.edu/inclusive/

The Future of UNH Strategic Priorities include

• Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategic Initiatives developed in 2020 to make UNH stand out for advancing DEI at every level of our institutions;
• Commitment to include DEI in UNH research, scholarship, and engagement activities and engage our entire UNH community in DEI learning experiences;
• Commitment to partner with the state and other statewide organization to promote diversity, equity and inclusion across New Hampshire.
• Commitment to increase retention to above 90 percent across all demographic groups.
• Commitment to increasing graduation rates overall and for Pell Grant Students
• Commitment to national leadership in long-term cost management, sustainable investing and aligning its budget and resources with its strategic priorities while becoming more accessible and affordable for students

The Future of UNH Strategic Priorities and related metrics and initiatives are available here:
https://www.unh.edu/main/future-of-unh
Related DEI Strategic Initiatives can be found here https://www.unh.edu/inclusive/our-community/dei-initiatives

Important aspects of this work are also carried out through institutional mechanisms including:

University Commission on Community, Equity and Diversity that provides university-wide leadership in support of institutional diversity and a welcoming, inclusive campus. See https://www.unh.edu/inclusive/community-climate/university-commission-community-equity-and-diversity

Inclusion Council is comprised of the chairs of Diversity and Inclusion Committees (Equity Advocates) already or recently forged in colleges, Student Affairs and units. The Council works on relevant unit-based inclusivity by exchanging information, discussing obstacles, resources, activities, best practices and creative ideas about inclusive pedagogy, recruiting, retention, and programming. See https://www.unh.edu/inclusive/community-climate/inclusion-council

The UNH Strategic Plan in which sustainability is a major theme https://www.unh.edu/main/future-of-unh is endorsed by the UNH Board of Trustees

Today, we view sustainability as a collective commitment to human dignity for all people and ecological integrity in all places. It is built upon an inter-generational, ethical obligation that holds social justice, collaboration, and inclusive prosperity to be essential to fulfill diverse human potential and preserve the health of the planet upon which we all depend. This manifests as an ethic that compels us to respond to urgent, complex challenges with trans-disciplinary approaches that involve diverse partners, on campus and beyond.

https://www.unh.edu/sustainability/about

Grand Coalition Statement on Paris Agreement “We Are Still IN”
http://secondnature.org/grand-coalition-statement-paris-agreement/

The Presidents’ Climate Leadership Commitments (Charter Signatory)
http://secondnature.org/what-we-do/climate-leadership/

UNH was the first university in the nation to sign the "Agreement of Intention and Collaboration" linked to the International Slow Food Association. In May of 2006, UNH signed the International Slow Food Principles " ... for the purpose of creating a worldwide network of universities and research institutions linked to the International Slow Food Association." These principles include " ... protection of agricultural biodiversity, support of the rights of peoples to self-determination with regard to food and education of civilized society and training of workers in the food and agricultural sector.
https://www.unh.edu/dining/sustainability/sustainable-efforts