University of Utah
PA-2: Sustainability Planning

Sustainability Literacy for Every Student, University of Utah Sustainability Education Advisory Committee(SEAC),2018.

This plan describes actions and indicators for each of four categories:

Strategy 1. Curriculum
Strategy 2. Academic Programs & Certificates
Strategy 3. Faculty Support
Strategy 4. Program Support

Please see uploaded Sustainability Education Action Plan document below for specific measurable outcomes related to curriculum.

2010 Climate Action Plan, Prepared by the Office of Sustainability, the President's Sustainability Advisory Committee, and the CAP Planning Team, 2010.
URL: https://collections.lib.utah.edu/details?id=326792

All strategies in the 2010 Climate Action Plan are categorized in the following time frames:
On-going: current programs or strategies to be continued or expanded
Short-term: strategies to be initiated by 2015 (five years)
Mid-term: strategies to be initiated by 2020 (ten years)
Long-term: strategies to be initiated after 2020

--Create enhanced orientation for students, faculty and staff to include principles of sustainability in existing policies and programs, as well as participatory opportunities like Green Teams and campus organizations. [2010, p. 22]
-- Develop academic and research real-life opportunities for students to work with Facilities Management and allied professionals in the planning, design and construction of the campus' built environment. (SCIF, Seed2Soil) [2010, p.23]

2008 University Campus Master Plan
--Implementation, Sustainability: 1) Continue to build on current efforts led by the Office of Sustainability. 2) New developments to meet Architecture 2030 objectives 3) Undertake sustainability audit to establish baseline conditions. 4) Promote full participation in achieving a sustainable campus environment. [2008, p. 7-3]

2010 Climate Action Plan, Prepared by the Office of Sustainability, the President's Sustainability Advisory Committee, and the CAP Planning Team, 2010.
URL: https://collections.lib.utah.edu/details?id=326792

--By 2050, the University of Utah will source the majority of its energy from clean renewable sources such as solar, geothermal, and combined heat and power. [p. 30]
--Increase overall Renewable Energy Credit (REC) purchases by 5 % per year.
--Evaluate and expand the campus portfolio of certified renewable energy credits (RECs) and offsets. Within two years, develop a promotional campaign to increase participation and contributions by 10 percent. [P. 32]
--Create a campus standard for minimum percentage of renewable energy on all major capital development projects and tie to LEED Energy and Atmosphere credit 2 “On-Site Renewable Energy.”

--Create a pilot program and develop financing strategies with Commuter Services for a special parking permit to install PV parking structures

-Analyze Building 093 (HPER) pool heating opportunities and initiate project if the Life-cycle analysis and funding warrants action.

--Require all new capital development projects to investigate opportunities to use solar thermal and storage as a source for building heat.

Improving the Air We Breathe: Emission Mitigation Strategies for the University of Utah [2015]

--Reduce energy use on campus by 20% percent by 2020 through the Better Buildings Challenge (BBC) by 2020. [p. 43]
--Complete utility metering for all campus buildings to better collect and analyze building information [p. 14]
--Replacement of all inefficient and high-emitting boilers by 2017 [p. 46]
--Implement the campus energy standard to require all new capital improvement projects to provide a minimum of 40 percent savings beyond the required energy code. [ p. 27]
-- the University has committed to achieve a 20% reduction in our energy use intensity (EUI) by 2020 as compared with a 2010 baseline [p. 188]

University of Utah Strategy 2025
https://strategy.utah.edu/

-- Promote Student Success:
1) Address the equity gap; increase completion rates for underrepresented populations.

-- Ensure Vitality:
1) Achieve 50% carbon neutrality by the year 2025 and reduce energy costs by 10% by 2025
2) Increase both faculty and staff diversity by 35% each

-- Engage Communities:
1) Increase number of Utahns served by U of U Health to 1 in 5 by growing our capacity to serve patients through use of digital technologies, telehealth, community clinics and affiliate hospital networks.
2) Increase interdisciplinary research, community collaboration and health services throughout the state focused on the most pressing challenges through efforts such as the Huntsman Mental Health Initiative, Driving Out Diabetes, suicide prevention and air quality and racial justice initiatives.

Sustainability is defined as a University core value for the university: "The U contributes to a more sustainable world through research, teaching, and demonstrating best practices in protecting and enhancing the natural and built environment on the campus and environs, making it a great place to live, learn, work, play, create, recreate, and visit."
https://president.utah.edu/university-mission-and-values/

The University of Utah defines sustainability as the integrated pursuit of social equity, environmental integrity, and economic security for current and future generations.

American College & University Presidents Climate Leadership Commitments, signed 2008 and renewed 2019 and 2021.
This commitment renews the university’s commitment to carbon neutrality by 2040 and places the institution on a path towards resilience and adaptation.

University Climate Change Coalition, Signed 2019.
This is a group of 20 leading North American research universities (including University of California, University of Colorado, Boulder, University of Michigan and others) that have committed to mobilizing their resources and expertise to accelerate local and regional climate action in partnership with businesses, cities and states, foundations, and other organizations.

U Health, Health Sector Climate Pledge, Signed 2023.
In 2022, the White House and Health and Human Services launched the Health Sector Climate Pledge, a voluntary commitment to climate resilience and emissions reduction that includes cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by 2030 and achieving net zero emissions by 2050. U Health is a signatory to this pledge and is committed to:
--At minimum, reduce organizational emissions by 50% by 2030 (from a baseline no earlier than 2008) and achieve net-zero by 2050, publicly accounting for progress on this goal every year.
--Designate an executive-level lead for their work on reducing emissions by 2023 and conduct an inventory of Scope 3 (supply chain) emissions by the end of 2024.
--Develop and release a climate resilience plan for continuous operations by the end of 2023, anticipating the needs of groups in their community that experience disproportionate risk of climate-related harm.

SOURCES

Sustainability Commitments
URL:https://sustainability.utah.edu/commitments
https://sustainability.utah.edu/climatecommitment/

Strategy 2025 and Institutional Mission and Values
https://president.utah.edu/university-mission-and-values/
https://strategy.utah.edu/
https://strategy.utah.edu/university-core-goals-progress/

Health Sector Climate Pledge
https://www.hhs.gov/climate-change-health-equity-environmental-justice/climate-change-health-equity/actions/health-sector-pledge/index.html