Washington University in St. Louis
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Phil
Valko Assistant Vice Chancellor for Sustainability Office of Sustainability |
Does the institution have at least one sustainability committee?:
The charter or mission statement of the committee(s) or a brief description of each committee's purview and activities:
Washington University has a variety of standing committees and ad hoc committees that guide strategy development and implementation for sustainable operations, teaching, and research activities for the University.
The committees include, but are not limited to:
- The Environment, Sustainability, and Climate Change strategic planning committee
- An energy and emissions committee
- the Washington University Climate Change Program Steering Committee
- The Midwest Climate Summit planning committee
- Utility master planning committees for both campuses
- Project-specific committees for green building projects
- Mobility taskforce
In addition, working groups come together regularly to meet on specific priorities areas:
* Dining
* Green Labs
* Environmental Justice
* Energy and Emissions
* Campus Mobility
* Climate Change
* Waste Diversion and Minimization
* Biodiversity
The Sustainability Action Team (SAT) meets quarterly to provide education on how individuals can reduce their resource use (energy, water, paper, etc.), enhance understanding around individual actions to reach sustainability goals, and encourage participation in sustainability programs across the campus and community. The SAT has approximately 600 members.
Members of each committee, including affiliations and role:
The various stakeholder groups and committees include dozens of members. The following list represents a subset of the guiding members.
-Melissa Hopkins, Associaate Vice Chancellor, Medical School Facilities
-Jim Stueber, Senior Director, Medical School Facilities Engineering
-J.D. Long, Associate Vice Chancellor, Facilities Planning and Management, Danforth Campus
-Ed Barry, Director, Utilities Operations, Danforth Campus
-Jamie Kolker, Campus Architect and Planner
-Phil Valko, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Sustainability
The Sustainability Action Team leaders include the following:
-Melissa Hopkins, Assistant Vice Chancellor, Medical School Facilities
-Jim Stueber, Senior Director, Medical School Facilities Engineering
-Phil Valko, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Sustainability, Danforth Campus
-Cassandra Hage, Assistant Director of Sustainability, Danforth Campus
-Alicia Hubert, Sustainability Coordinator, Facilities, School of Medicine Campus
Does the institution have at least one sustainability office that includes more than 1 full-time equivalent employee?:
A brief description of each sustainability office:
The Office of Sustainability (OOS) leads Washington University in St. Louis’s efforts to transform our campuses into living laboratories that connect teaching and research directly to sustainable campus operations. OOS leads institutional sustainability goal-setting and works closely with departments throughout the institution to achieve these goals. OOS serves as a source for new and innovative ideas and a guiding force for sustainability-related initiatives on campus.
The Office currently consists of four full-time staff members as well as two dedicated sustainability staff housed in School of Medicine's facilities department; additionally, a sustainable buildings manager works with both the Office of Sustainability as well as the Office of the University Architect in Facilities.
The 2015-2020 Strategic Plan for Sustainable Operations has guided the work of the office for the last few years. The Plan contains specific goals, strategies, and metrics for each of the eight areas outlined in the plan (Energy & Emissions, Buildings, Community, Food, Landscape, Transportation, Waste, and Water). Progress against these goals is tracked on an ongoing basis. The University is currently in the process of creating its next sustainability plan.
Additionally, approximately 20 student interns are employed by the office and handle specific projects and programs. The interns are also focused on the goals in the Plan, and are grouped into teams related to the eight strategic areas. Interns represent 1.25 FTE in the figure below.
Two additional staff members are included in the FTE count who have job responsibilities that allocate a specific portion of their time for sustainability work: Alternative Transportation Coordinator (.5 FTE out of Parking & Transportation) and Event Planner (grant-funded support for the Midwest Climate Summit, .5 FTE).
Full-time equivalent of people employed in the sustainability office(s):
Does the institution have at least one sustainability officer?:
Name and title of each sustainability officer:
Does the institution have a mechanism for broad sustainability coordination for the entire institution?:
A brief description of the activities and substantive accomplishments of the institution-wide coordinating body or officer during the previous three years:
Accomplishments include:
* Presenting progress reports on the 2015-2020 Strategic Plan for Sustainable Operations, including the successful completion of the majority of goals
* Putting forth recommendations for Environment, Sustainability and Climate Change for the University-wide Strategic Plan
* Initiating a new student leadership training program, "SPARK," to help campus green groups foster collaboration and effectively set and accomplish goals.
* A peer to peer education program, The Green Ambassador program launched in 2013 with 33 students.
* In partnership with the Environmental Studies Program, the International Center for Energy, Environment and Sustainability, and others, the Office of Sustainability developed a student intern program that provides professional development and social programming for participating programs hosting interns in Energy, Environment and Sustainability. The current cohort includes 28 student workers during the academic year and 8-10 over the summer.
* Staff have championed a broad range of efforts, including creating zero-waste events, promoting Green Office program, and driving progress throughout the 8 areas of the strategic plan
*The office works closely with campus dining partners to increase the overall percentage of locally sourced food options, increase education about plant-based eating, and decrease food waste
* Continue to aggressively pursue waste reduction and diversion. Recent initiatives include front and back of house compost collection in most dining areas across campus, a "straws upon request" policy that effectively removes straws from dining spaces, and defaulting to reusable dishes in dining areas where reusable dishes are offered.
* Reduce irrigation water use by pursuing landscape projects that utilize native and drought tolerant plantings, efficient irrigation systems, use of a newly installed cistern and rainwater harvesting.
* Completion and roll out of the Sustainable Operations Strategic Plan for the School of Medicine (2019)
* All new major construction projects, including a major expansion of the main academic campus, have achieved high levels of LEED certification (6 Platinum, 3 Gold, 1 Silver), and remains a focal point of the approach to new building design and construction.
* December 2019 completion of six solar installations totaling 1.9 megawatts
* Summer 2021 solar installations bring total onsite solar-generating capacity to 2.7 megawatts
* The newly developed "East End" of the main campus includes an underground parking garage with a multiple-acre green roof. Water is treated onsite where possible in a network of rain gardens and bioretention areas
* The Active Commuter Hub launched in the fall of 2019 and after a pandemic hiatus, returned to full operations in the fall of 2021
* Extensive partnerships in the St. Louis region to advance climate action
Job title of the sustainability officer position:
Job description for the sustainability officer position:
Job description for the sustainability officer position:
As Assistant Vice Chancellor for Sustainability, Phil works with senior administrators, faculty, staff and students to incorporate and implement sustainable practices into the university’s strategic planning, operations, and resource management. Additionally, the assistant vice chancellor leads cross-sector partnership engagement in the St. Louis region and beyond to accelerate the adoption of sustainable practice.
Job title of the sustainability officer position (2nd position):
Job description for the sustainability officer position (2nd position):
Job description for the sustainability officer position (2nd position):
The Assistant Director provides key management support to the Assistant Vice Chancellor of Sustainability and plays a key role in advancing the office’s vision of stewarding a culture of sustainability at Washington University across all institute functions.
This position oversees department operations to ensure high quality programs, services, and communications for all campus and community stakeholders; efficient administrative processes; and the operationalization and evaluation of initiatives and programs. Key responsibilities include: lead strategic projects and initiatives, provide sustainability training and consultation to the campus community, foster student leadership development, and oversee department operations.
Job title of the sustainability officer position (3rd position):
Job description for the sustainability officer position (3rd position):
Job description for the sustainability officer position (3rd position):
* Coordinate elements of the University’s alternative transportation programs in close partnership with the Department of Parking and Transportation, including bi-annual Active Transportation Month, campus outreach, bicycle and pedestrian education and trainings, data collection, and reporting.
* Coordinate elements of the University’s sustainable dining programs in close partnership with Dining Services and dining contractors, including ongoing planning and implementation of outreach and education initiatives; sourcing local and environmentally preferable food; waste and energy reduction/diversion; and data collection and reporting. Facilitate quarterly planning meetings with Dining Services partners. Develop and promote food-related events and activities throughout the year. Partner with Human Resources to promote and expand Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program and School of Medicine farmers’ market.
* Supervise intern teams working in the areas of sustainable transportation, food, campus engagement, and marketing/communications. Assign and guide weekly responsibilities, provide professional development opportunities, and conduct semester reviews.
* Manage Office of Sustainability marketing and communications. Develop marketing/communications materials with Office of Sustainability staff and other campus partners, including newsletters, social media posts, website, marketing materials for events, year-end report, and others. Attend tabling events and coordinate presentations to further promote programs and events.
* Expand existing and develop new outreach programs and initiatives, including the Green Office program, Less is More campaign, Green Cup, Share Our Stuff, community donation efforts, and others. Provide planning and execution support for special events, conferences, and programs hosted by Office of Sustainability and campus partners.
*Attending quarterly STL-HESC meetings to foster regional higher education partnerships.
*Serve as an Office of Sustainability representative to student groups; establish meeting schedules, support agenda development; attend meetings, provide guidance and direction, and enlist student support for university sustainability initiatives. Develop new partnerships with students that will increase student participation in and understanding of sustainability programs. Help align and expand peer-to-peer education efforts, including WashU Green Ambassadors (WUGA) and Eco Reps residential programs.
Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainability coordination is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.