Wellesley College
PAE-4: Sustainability Plan

Wellesley College's Sustainability Advisory Committee consists of students, faculty, staff and administrative representatives and meets frequently throughout the year to address sustainability problems on campus and implement sustainability initiatives. In 2008, the committee identified four "Aspirational Goals" to achieve by 2013. These goals help to shape the College's policies and programs and guide Wellesley's use of expenditures and resources.

1. Landscape: Our goal is to utilize cutting-edge techniques in our landscape, to promote our efforts actively and to generate interest nationally as a model institution. 2. Water Conservation: Building on past success, our goal is to reduce water consumption by an additional 25% by 2013 (for a total reduction of 50% between 1999 and 2013). 3. Waste Reduction: Our goal is to increase the amount recycled to 25% of the waste stream while decreasing our total solid waste stream by 20% by 2013. 4. Energy Use Reduction: Our goal is to further reduce our consumption of electricity by 13% by 2013 (for a total reduction of 25% between 2003-2013) and to reduce our consumption of other energy by 15% as building and systems are upgraded.

Landscape: This particular goal describes a more subjective vision of landscape than it does an objective and measurable target. Nevertheless, the College has restored over 8 acres of wetlands and has planted 4,000 tree, 20,000 shrubs, and multiple herbaceous plants since 1999. Water: Metered data. Wellesley College has achieved a 33% reduction in campus water usage as compared to 1999 levels. Waste: Weight measurement. Wellesley College has achieved an 11% reduction in generated waste as compared to 2005. Each year, Wellesley College diverts 25% of non-recyclable waste from going to a landfill and incinerator through its recycling and composting programming. Energy: Metered data. Wellesley college has achieved a 16% reduction in energy usage as compared to 2005 levels.