Western Washington University
PA-2: Sustainability Planning

Taken from Western's Sustainability Action Plan:

Goal 1: Western’s curricula provide all students opportunities to nurture and create the conditions for a thriving society, economy, and environment (SEE).
• Objective 1.1: Increase enrollment to 50 students by 2022 in the Sustainability Studies minor.
• Objective 1.2: Every major has curricular options that include sustainability content by 2020.
• Objective 1.3: Identify and promote opportunities for engaged learning in the area of sustainability by 2020.

Goal 2: Western supports scholarship and teaching that contribute to the understanding and promotion of sustainability.
• Objective 2.1: Commit resources to promote Washington Higher Education Sustainability Conference (WAHESC) by 2020.
• Objective 2.2: Provide funding for three (3) faculty and staff across disciplines to attend conferences that promote sustainability beginning 2018. [E.g.: WAHESC, OHESC & Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)]

Goal 3: Western recruits and retains faculty and staff who focus on sustainability.
• Objective 3.1: Maintain annual funding of a total of $10K for up to ten (10) Sustainability Fellows.
• Objective 3.2: Create a tenure-track faculty line devoted to sustainability by next biennium (2019-2021).
• Objective 3.3: Increase faculty capacity to offer sustainability-related curriculum by 2019.

Goal 4: Western is home to an Institute for Sustainability (IS).
• Objective 4.1: Develop a 5-year strategic plan for the IS by 2019.
• Objective 4.2: Begin fundraising campaign for IS in 2019.

Taken from Western's Sustainability Action Plan:

Goal 1: Western is internally organized to support university and community engagement to advance sustainability.
• Objective 1.1: Complete a university-wide public engagement alignment process to enhance Western's structure and function for public engagement by fall 2019.
• Objective 1.2: Commit to a university-wide system for qualitative and quantitative assessment of public engagement efforts by fall 2019.
• Objective 1.3: Follow recommendations of alignment process to incentivize community engagement for faculty, staff, and students throughout the university beginning fall 2021.

Goal 2: Western's culture and community engagement efforts reflect a strong commitment to sustainability.
• Objective 2.1: Redevelop student, staff, faculty, and visitor orientation programs to emphasize Western's commitment to education for sustainability beginning spring 2017.
• Objective 2.2: Expand courses and co-curricular programs for first-year students that teach about local and regional sustainability issues through community engagement beginning fall 2018.
• Objective 2.3: Improve interpretation of Western-owned grounds to enhance understanding and appreciation of the unique cultural and environmental history of the area by 2020.
• Objective 2.4: Establish sustainability-related interactive experiences, cooperatively designed and supported by WWU and community partners, to help build relationships among members of Western, and with the broader community by 2019.
• Objective 2.5: Create a system for continually learning about (listening and dialoguing) evolving local to global sustainability opportunities and challenges by 2020.
• Objective 2.6: Support the efforts of regional campuses to enhance their sustainability activities.

Goal 3: Western's sustainability resources are easily accessed by the public.
• Objective 3.1: Enhance web materials that enable the public to access sustainability resources beginning fall 2017.
• Objective 3.2: Increase use of vibrant, visible, and accessible venues across the Salish Sea Region for community sustainability events beginning fall 2018.

Goal 4: Western engages respectfully with Coast Salish Peoples in recognition that the University occupies traditional Coast Salish lands.
• Objective 4.1: Create a University-wide tribal advisory committee to advise the President and University community on issues such as curriculum, campus life and gathering spaces, interactive facilities and operations, and engagement opportunities by 2018.
• Objective 4.2: Establish a permanent tribal liaison position to build relationships between Western and the Coast Salish communities by 2018.
• Objective 4.3: Expand and enhance institutional partnerships and collaborations with tribal institutions beginning fall 2017.

Taken from Western's Sustainability Action Plan:

Built Environment
Goal 1: Carbon Neutrality: Reduce the carbon intensity of university energy supply sources and achieve 100% net university carbon reduction.
• Objective 1.1: In the short term, identify and implement financially viable carbon reduction projects to reduce carbon emissions by 15%, per state requirements, by 2020.
• Objective 1.2: In the mid-term, where reduction is not yet technologically feasible, seek and commit to credible carbon offsets for all continuing direct hydrocarbon use by 2030.
• Objective 1.3: In the long term, achieve carbon neutrality by 2035, first through reduction and secondly through offset.

Goal 2: Maximize cost-effective energy efficiency investments in university buildings, while steadily improving building performance and occupant comfort and health.
• Objective 2.1: Continue to reduce the need for new construction by prioritizing the use of current facilities.
• Objective 2.2: Develop energy performance targets and sustainable design standards by 2018.
• Objective 2.4: Adopt policies or guidelines designed to minimize energy use and emissions from non-fixed assets such as refrigerators, freezers, custodial and other mobile equipment by 2025.
• Objective 2.5: Employ clean, renewable energy sources on- or off-campus to offset existing and new demands by 2030.
• Objective 2.6: Design a university plan to support deep, holistic renovations and energy efficiency investments by 2035.
• Objective 2.7: Design, construct, renovate, and operate buildings using a closed-loop process involving minimal to no waste in all processes by 2035.

Goal 3: Green Building Certification: Acquire third party certification of the environmental performance of new and existing university buildings through the USGBC’s LEED certification or equivalent process
• Objective 3.1: Complete the USGBC’s LEED Gold certification or equivalent for all new and fully renovated university buildings starting in 2018.

Goal 4: Utilize accepted Low Impact Development (LID) practices as standard to reduce rainwater/storm-water
volume, improve outgoing water quality, and make on-campus use of collected rainwater.
• Objective 4.1: Apply LID to all new construction, major renovation and other projects that increase
paved surface area or otherwise significantly change university grounds by 2035.

Goal 5: Build and maintain publicly accessible databases of energy use, water consumption, and carbon emissions for all university buildings.
• Objective 5.1: Build and maintain a publicly-accessible database of available information for ongoing energy consumption and emissions for all university buildings by 2018.
• Objective 5.2: Build and maintain a publicly accessible database of available information for ongoing water consumption for all university buildings by 2018.
• Objective 5.3: Build and maintain a publicly accessible database of available information for ongoing carbon emissions for all university buildings by 2018.

Goal 6: Develop an active learning, living laboratory within Western’s built environment.
• Objective 6.1: Expand support for courses and co-curricular programs for students that teach about local and regional stewardship solutions through skill development and campus and community engagement beginning fall 2017.

Dining Services
Goal 1: Research and explore new and emerging technologies, practices, and policies to increase sustainable performance in existing and new dining facilities.
• Objective 1.1: Create a more efficient model to deliver food service to campus by 2019.
• Objective 1.2: Achieve sustainable maintenance and renovation practices, and equipment purchasing processes by 2035.
• Objective 1.3: Reduce resource consumption (such as water, energy) by 10% of current baseline by 2035.

Goal 2: Increase environmental best practices for dining service providers and vendors.
• Objective 2.1: Ensure 100% goods’ packaging that University Dining Services produces is compostable/recyclable by 2020.
• Objective 2.2: Increase local/regional food purchasing; WA, OR, ID, BC to 25% by 2020.
• Objective 2.3: Increase REAL food purchases to 25% by 2020.
• Objective 2.4: Implement a vendor environmental practices survey by 2020.

Goal 3: Provide resources and opportunities for the campus and community to increase understanding and engage in sustainable food practices.
• Objective 3.1: Continue educating campus and surrounding community about healthy and sustainable consumption practices.
• Objective 3.2: Develop a mutually-enhancing relationship between Outback and University Dining Services beginning in 2017.
• Objective 3.3: Explore funding options to offset increased costs to students as UDS works to meet Real Food Challenge and other local and regional food commitments beginning in 2017.
• Objective 3.4: Continue to engage with the local and regional community to develop a sustainable food system model that links local producers with larger consumer entities.

Goal 4: Become zero-waste in all campus dining locations.
• Objective 4.1: Develop a recycling and compost program for all retail (dining) locations and their offices that results in zero waste by 2020.
• Objective 4.2: Develop a recycling and compost program for all residential dining halls and their offices that results in zero waste by 2020.
• Objective 4.3: Develop a recycling and compost program for all catering sites and their offices that results in zero waste by 2020.
• Objective 4.4: Establish a monitoring system to identify base-line waste metrics by 2025.

Grounds
Goal 1: Reduce the consumption of natural resources in grounds maintenance.
• Objective 1.1: Develop and implement the use of a preferred plant species list to reduce water consumption for each landscape type—formal, semi-formal, and native—by fall 2017.
• Objective 1.2: Develop a dashboard of irrigation water consumption per irrigated area by fall 2017.
• Objective 1.3: Evaluate the viability of rain and soil moisture sensors to reduce excess water consumption starting fall 2017.
• Objective 1.4: Increase and enhance the use of compost and yard debris used on campus for moisture retention and weed suppression beginning 2018.

Goal 2: Reduce air and noise pollution using sustainable landscape equipment.
• Objective 2.1: Evaluate all equipment requests to determine whether a viable electric alternative exists beginning 2017.
• Objective 2.2: Reduce carbon impact of vehicles and equipment to the Outdoor Maintenance shop as budget allows.

Goal 3: Reduce pesticide use through Integrated Pest Management.
• Objective 3.1: Continuing education classes in Integrated Pest Management for all gardeners, annually.
• Objective 3.2: Establish baseline of pesticide reduction by 2018.

Goal 4: Enhance stormwater treatment and reduce pollutant runoff from impervious surfaces across campus.
• Objective 4.1: Continue to protect water quality by complying with all DOE-required stormwater maintenance activities.
• Objective 4.2: Establish regular street-sweeping contract to reduce potential pollution runoff to surface waters by 2020.

Goal 5: Provide education on sustainable practices and utilize campus grounds to foster environmental stewardship.
• Objective 5.1: Continue goal of employing at least six (6) seasonal student employees in the Outdoor Maintenance shop.
• Objective 5.2: Continue to improve the educational component of the student employee program.
• Objective 5.3: Make available educational opportunities on and around Western-owned grounds to enhance understanding and appreciation of the unique environmental setting of Western and its relationship to other global ecosystems.

Procurement
Goal 1: Encourage the use of sustainable businesses.
• Objective 1.1: Develop “Sustainable Purchasing Guidelines” within Procurement processes, inclusive of lifecycle accountability, vendor information, embodied energy and emissions, and social equity practices.
• Objective 1.2: Acknowledge the importance of purchases from local and regional business.

Goal 2: Increase the percentage of use of sustainable products and natural resources throughout our supply
chain.
• Objective 2.1: Increase the use of recycled and reclaimed products.

Goal 3: Increase the number of sustainable materials and supplies available in the bookstore for students and greater campus.
• Objective 3.1: Increase percentage of purchases from local and regional businesses by 10% by fiscal year 2018.
• Objective 3.2: Increase sustainable textbook options by 10% by fiscal year 2018.
• Objective 3.3: Develop key criteria to evaluate suppliers when we consider the introduction of new products and the replenishing of existing ones by fiscal year 2018.
• Objective 3.4: Continue to improve the visibility of the bookstore’s sustainable offerings.

Goal 4: Prioritize methods of accessing library materials that have a smaller carbon footprint.
• Objective 4.1: Encourage faculty to request and use materials purchased in e-form rather than paper.
• Objective 4.2: Encourage faculty to use resource sharing opportunities like document delivery and InterLibrary Loan (ILL), rather than ordering materials.
• Objective 4.3: Encourage publishers to use more sustainable materials in their publications.

Goal 5: Designate the Facilities Management Fleet Services as the institutional office responsible for coordinating and supporting all university vehicle (specialized, departmental, and fleet) purchase and life-cycle decisions.
• Objective 5.1: Consolidate the coordination of university vehicle purchases and life cycle management by [date].
• Objective 5.2: Develop a vehicle procurement guide as part of the greater university e-procurement process by [date].

Transportation
Goal 1: Western recognizes its role as a member of the larger transportation community and engages in local, regional, and state transportation issues and solutions.
• Objective 1.1: Develop an integrated University Transportation Plan, including all components of campus transportation by fall 2018.
• Objective 1.2: Pursue Western representation on the City of Bellingham Transportation Commission for sharing data, providing input on planning processes, and cooperation on shared goals beginning in 2017.
• Objective 1.3: Pursue an integrated relationship between Western and Whatcom Transportation Authority (WTA) executive and planning staff, and the WTA Board, establishing a framework for collaboration on current and future goals beginning in 2017.
• Objective 1.4: Include Western employee and student transportation options in community resilience and disaster preparedness planning, and in communication to the broader campus community by 2020.
• Objective 1.5: Identify and measure the current efficacy of transportation options for equitable access to local institutions of higher education, including Western’s extension campuses by 2025.
• Objective 1.6: Begin advocacy at the state level for regional connectivity that supports reduced student reliance on automobile travel starting in fall 2017.

Goal 2: Improve safety for users of all transportation modes through education and infrastructure improvements, prioritizing by vulnerability.
• Objective 2.1: Adopt Vision Zero for campus by fall 2018.
• Objective 2.2: Identify and develop a list of pedestrian and bicycle access and safety improvements to campus infrastructure, including service roads by June 2018.

Goal 3: Reduce climate impacts of employee and student Western-related ground travel.
• Objective 3.1: Reduce employee drive alone commute rates by 10% annually over the next five (5) years improving bus, bicycle, walking, and carpooling options.
• Objective 3.2: Reduce commuter student-driving rates by 10% annually for the next five years; improving bus, bicycle, walking, rideshare and car-share, and carpooling options.
• Objective 3.3: Reduce impacts of regional university-related ground travel 10% annually over the next five years.

Goal 4: Reduce climate impacts of Western-related air travel.
• Objective 4.1: Collect and make publicly available, data on all air travel by fall 2018.
• Objective 4.2: Provide options to travelers for off-setting carbon by 2020.
• Objective 4.3: Pursue a carbon off-setting system that benefits the local community beginning in 2020.

Goal 5: Annually decrease impacts of university fleet vehicles.
• Objective 5.1: Reduce the GHG emissions of the university fleet [by 10%] by fall 2018.
• Objective 5.2: All Western-owned vehicles continually meet Washington State requirements for greenhouse gas emissions.
• Objective 5.3: Collect information for all university fleet vehicle usage and energy consumption by 2018.
• Objective 5.4: Carbon neutrality for every university-owned vehicle by 2035.

Waste
Goal 1: Create uniform waste collection receptacle standards across Western, providing compost, recycling, and landfill bins.
• Objective 1.1: Provide portable recycling and composting receptacles with appropriate signage for all events hosted on Western property and by Western-affiliated groups, beginning fall 2018.
• Objective 1.2: Eliminate paper towel waste by 2020.
• Objective 1.3: Expand and improve collection of non-traditional recyclable materials beginning fall 2020.
• Objective 1.4: Divert waste from the landfill by providing opportunities for campus to recycle and compost effectively and efficiently by 2025.
• Objective 1.5: Identify funding sources to expand Big Belly recycling program during the 2017-2019 biennium.

Goal 2: Institutionalize management practices and policies for waste collection.
• Objective 2.1: Create mechanisms to connect the different departments that manage waste by fall 2020.
• Objective 2.2: Institute quarterly waste management meetings across stakeholders to address issues and propose improvements to waste reduction systems, by fall 2017.
• Objective 2.3: Formalize, with Facility Design and Capital Budget staff, Big Belly recycling stations as a university standard for outdoor bins by 2018.
• Objective 2.4: Formalize Western's Ban on Single-Use water bottle sales by fall 2017.
• Objective 2.5: Create an engaged citizenry, consistent expectations, and student buy-in to waste reduction by fall 2020.
• Objective 2.6: Manage waste wisely at all events hosted on Western property and by Western-affiliated groups by fall 2020.
• Objective 2.7: Initiate systematic waste data-collection beginning winter 2019.
• Objective 2.8: Implement a Zero Waste Certification program beginning winter 2020.

Goal 3: Provide opportunities for waste reduction education to Western faculty, staff, students, and visitors on accepted waste reduction practices.
• Objective 3.1: Continue to create and improve opportunities for students to be directly involved with Zero Waste Western.
• Objective 3.2: Provide waste reduction training to all staff and faculty beginning in 2020.

Goal 4: Reduce electronic and hazardous waste.
• Objective 4.1: Develop a framework for a university-wide, centralized chemical purchasing system by 2022.
• Objective 4.2: Reduce quantity of hazardous academic lab waste per student by 2030.
• Objective 4.3: Improve university-wide usage and replacement of computers, especially in general use computer labs by 2022.

Taken from Western's Sustainability Action Plan:

Investments
Goal 1: Increase awareness and adoption of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria in the selection of WWU investments.
• Objective 1.1: Give due consideration to ESG criteria exercised by the companies and/or funds in which University investments are made.
• Objective 1.2: Make investment holdings information publicly available, including but not limited to fund performance against ESG metrics (as available).

Goal 2: Through its decision-making and communication processes, the university will ask the Foundation Board to consider including additional investment criteria, including ESG, in its selection of investments or investment managers, and communicate those decisions to the university community.
• Objective 2.1: Support the Foundation in publicizing its Climate Aware Investment option to prospective donors, by the end of 2018.
• Objective 2.2: Ask the Foundation Board to consider setting a goal to have a meaningful amount of endowment holdings invested in the Climate Aware Fund by June 30, 2021.
• Objective 2.3: Ask the Foundation Board to consider requiring investment advisors to include ESG criteria as part of their due diligence process when hiring investment managers that may manage Foundation funds, either directly or indirectly, by the end of 2018.
• Objective 2.4: Ask the Foundation Board to consider mandating that any investment advisor responding to an RFP be a signatory to (UNPRI) by the end of 2018.
• Objective 2.5: By the end of 2018, ask the Foundation Board to consider inclusion in any agreement with an investment advisor that if the advisor ceases to be a signatory to UNPRI or follow those principles, the Foundation may terminate the agreement.
• Objective 2.6: Ask the Foundation Board to consider, at such time as the Foundation makes investments itself, becoming a signatory to UNPRI.

Goal 3: Students understand both Western’s and the Foundation’s investment processes.
• Objective 3.1: Advance educational opportunities for greater student learning in the management and oversight of endowments and sustainable investing.
• Objective 3.2: Provide learning opportunities for students to evaluate the critical difference(s) between various types of sustainable investing and traditional investments.

Western signed the American College and University President's Climate Commitment in 2007 and was one of the first 50 signatories in the nation.

As part of a comprehensive plan to improve student and employee health and wellbeing, Western Washington University has adopted the Okanagan Charter: https://www.wwu.edu/okanagan-charter.