Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 57.27
Liaison Jane Stewart
Submission Date March 4, 2022

STARS v2.2

Washington and Lee University
PA-2: Sustainability Planning

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.50 / 4.00 Kimberly Hodge
Director of Sustainability Initiatives and Education
Student Affairs
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have a published plan or plans that include measurable sustainability objectives that address sustainability in curriculum and/or research?:
No

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives related to academics and the plan(s) in which they are published:
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Does the institution have a published plan or plans that include measurable sustainability objectives that address student, employee, or community engagement for sustainability?:
No

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives related to engagement and the plan(s) in which they are published:
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Does the institution have a published plan or plans that include measurable sustainability objectives that address sustainability in operations?:
Yes

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives related to operations and the plan(s) in which they are published:

Written in our 2019 Climate Action Plan:

By 2029, reduce emissions from electricity use by 100%, natural gas and campus fleet by 10%, and landfill waste and paper by 20%.

https://www.wlu.edu/the-w-l-story/leadership/office-of-the-president/issues-and-initiatives/citizenship/sustainability-initiatives/climate-action-plan/


Does the institution have a published plan or plans that include measurable sustainability objectives that address diversity, equity, and inclusion; sustainable investment/finance; or wellbeing?:
No

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives related to administration and the plan(s) in which they are published:
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Does the institution have a published strategic plan or equivalent guiding document that includes sustainability at a high level? :
Yes

The institution’s highest guiding document (upload):
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Website URL where the institution’s highest guiding document is publicly available:
Which of the following best describes the inclusion of sustainability in the highest guiding document?:
Minor theme

The institution's sustainability plan (upload):
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Website URL where the institution's sustainability plan is publicly available:
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Does the institution have a formal statement in support of sustainability endorsed by its governing body?:
Yes

The formal statement in support of sustainability:

Found in the 2018 Strategic Plan (adopted by the Board of Trustees)

We Are:
Washington and Lee is civic-minded and forward-looking. Guided by its motto — non incautus futuri — the institution has always asked, at each moment in its long history, how it can best contribute not only to the success of its own students, but also to the nation and the world in which they will live. Liberty Hall Academy provided education on the frontier as the newly created United States began its westward expansion. Washington College contributed to the reconciliation and rebuilding of the country as it sought to recover from the devastation wrought by the Civil War.

Washington and Lee University continues to embrace institutional citizenship in many forms. The Shepherd Program prepares students to work with disadvantaged communities to address the problems associated with poverty. The Environmental Studies Program provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the causes, consequences, and solutions to environmental problems, and offers associated service-learning opportunities. The Center for International Education guides students as they chart their paths toward becoming engaged citizens in a global and diverse society. The Connolly Center for Entrepreneurship annually hosts a vibrant social impact summit. The Mudd Center for Ethics involves students and faculty from all three schools at W&L in addressing significant issues of public and professional ethics. The Law School's legal clinics and externships help meet the need for legal assistance in the region and enable students to develop client contact and advocacy skills. The Office of Community-Based Learning coordinates efforts across the university to integrate academic study and civic engagement with community partners.

We Will:
- Offer programs designed to foster responsible leadership, service to others, and civic engagement
- Teach and present our institutional history as comprehensively and accurately as possible
- Steward our resources responsibly
Rationale
The cultivation of engaged citizenship is essential to our mission. We aim to help students become not only personally successful, but also thoughtful difference-makers in their communities. Washington and Lee asks no less of itself institutionally.

We achieve our largest social impact through the education of our students. By teaching thousands of young people to engage, to serve, and to lead, we indirectly benefit communities all over the world. Such teaching also benefits local partners directly, as our students work with them in the course of their studies at W&L.

Washington and Lee also makes a difference by virtue of our own institutional contributions to the world beyond our campus. At this particular moment, we have an opportunity to set a national example for how an educational institution examines, teaches, and presents its history. We will do so honestly and thoughtfully, for the benefit of the present and future members of our community, as well as the citizens of our country.

Stewarding our resources responsibly enables us to carry out our mission more efficiently and reduce our environmental impacts. Doing so also provides opportunities to help others learn how to evaluate the environmental implications of projects in their own communities.


The institution’s definition of sustainability:

Washington and Lee's motto is Non Incautus Futuri - not unmindful of the future. The University has been preparing students for a life of service as future leaders for over 250 years. Our present challenge is to lead the way to a more sustainable future by developing a learning community whose members are mindful of their responsibility to future generations, sensitive to the stewardship of natural resources, and equitable in their social and economic relationships.


Is the institution an endorser or signatory of the following?:
Yes or No
The Earth Charter No
The Higher Education Sustainability Initiative (HESI) No
ISCN-GULF Sustainable Campus Charter No
Pan-Canadian Protocol for Sustainability No
SDG Accord No
Second Nature’s Carbon Commitment (formerly known as the ACUPCC), Resilience Commitment, and/or integrated Climate Commitment Yes
The Talloires Declaration (TD) Yes
UN Global Compact No
Other multi-dimensional sustainability commitments (please specify below) No

A brief description of the institution’s formal sustainability commitments, including the specific initiatives selected above:

Sustainability is written into the University's 2018 Strategic Plan under the headings Environmental Stewardship; Community Building and Support; Leadership, Service, and Civic Engagement.

https://www.wlu.edu/the-w-l-story/strategic-plan


Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainability planning efforts is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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