President’s Committee for Sustainability

Progress toward SU's Climate Action Plan Goals:

Seattle University has committed to the following four goals in the Climate Action Plan:

• ACADEMICS: Expand sustainability in the curriculum
• CO-CURRICULAR PROGRAMS and ENGAGEMENT: Expand sustainability in co-curricular programs and educate SU's campus community about climate change and sustainability outside the clasrroom
• OPERATIONS: Increase sustainable practices in university operations and eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from operations and transportation
• MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS: Share our sustainability knowledge and expertise with others

Since the adoption of the Climate Action Plan (2010), considerable progress has been made. Check out the Campus Sustainability Infographic and find out more for each CAP goal below: 

Academics:

• The Center for Environmental Justice and Sustainability was created to support interdisciplinary scholarship and teaching on environmental justice and sustainability and make Seattle University a recognized leader in these areas. CEJS serves as a clearinghouse for SU’s environmental programs and sustainability initiatives. The Center offers internships for SU students and has offered fellowships to 28 Faculty and 16 Students between 2013-2017.
• Sustainability Literacy survey for Freshmen (started in 2013) and post-survey for seniors (started in 2017)
• Biennial survey on sustainability research at SU
• Biennial inventory of sustainability courses at SU

 Co-curricular Programs and Engagement

• CEJS events such as brown bag lunches, conferences, lectures, symposia, workshops, theatre, films, and other events
• The annual EcoChallenge: during three weeks in April (Earth Month), SU community members learn, act, advocate, and share information about environmental justice and sustainability
• Several Sustainability tours are offered on campus
• Bullitt Center tours are provided by CEJS
• The two-monthly New Hire Orientation covers information about sustainability on campus, the Climate Action Plan, and the work of CEJS
• The biennial "Just Sustainability: Hope for the Commons" conference was organized in 2014 and 2016
• Several student clubs such as the Green Team, Sustainable Student Action, Engineers for a Sustainable World, and Food with Spirit work to promote environmental justice and sustainability
• Global Service organizations such as Nicamigos and Professionals Without Borders
• SU participates in the annual, national Recyclemania tournament
• During Earth Month (April), different departments on campus highlight Earth Day in their events and communication
• Creation of a Green Living Guide
• Creation of waste signage and water and energy conservation signage
• Self-guided sustainability walk materials such as a Campus Tree map and an Edible Campus map
• Green Meeting and Event Planning Guide
• Campus Sustainability Infographic
• Lunch time discussion groups on ways to live a healthier life while improving your community’s health, the connections between our lifestyle and food choices, and the condition of the Earth were offered each quarter between Spring 2012 and Winter 2015.
• Public policy participation: SU is one of more than 300 colleges and universities from across the United States to sign the "We Are Still In" declaration demonstrating its enduring commitment for climate action and reducing carbon emissions despite President Trump’s announcement to withdraw from the Paris Agreement.
• Community Partnerships: SU is a member of AASHE, the Campus Consortium for Environmental Excellence, WAHESC, WOHESC, the Capitol Hill EcoDistrict, and Practice Green Health.

Operations

• On September 13, 2018, SU's Board voted to divest from fossil fuels. SU will become the first university in Washington state and the first Jesuit school in the nation to divest its endowment from fossil fuels over the next five years
• Seattle University committed to work towards climate neutrality and reduce emissions by at least 12% by 2020 and by at least 51% by 2035 from buildings, solid waste, university-owned vehicles, air travel, and commuters to campus. To reach that goal, the university implemented a series of facilities improvement measures; improved the efficiency of campus vehicles and equipment; moved to an electronic procurement system; implemented energy efficiency projects; increased waste reduction, reuse, recycling, and composting activities; and provided commuter incentives for car/van pools, car sharing, transit, walking and biking. In fiscal year 2017, SU’s greenhouse gas emissions totaled 16,772 metric tons, that is a 10 percent reduction since 2009. SU’s GHG Inventory report can be viewed here.
• 4 LEED GOLD buildings were built on SU campus between 2009 and 2012
• In 2010, SU became a plastic water bottle-free campus, following a three-year campaign led by students and Professor Gary Chamberlain
• In 2015 Seattle University became the first Fair Trade designated University in the Pacific Northwest
• A campus-wide commuting survey was conducted in November 2016 providing updated data related to commuting behaviors of SU's community members
• In 2017 the Grounds Fields Team received Environmental Facility Certification from the Sport Turf Managers Association for sustainably maintaining the turf for Championship Field
• In 2016 SU submitted its first STARS (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System) report and obtained a GOLD rating. In 2018, the second STARS report resulted in another GOLD rating with an improved score of 75.64.
• A Tree Care Program was created in 2017 and the univerity obtained the Tree Campus USA designation (2018)
• In June 2018, Seattle University ranked #8 in the Sierra Club's annual "Cool Schools" ranking

Marketing & Communications

• CEJS quarterly newsletters
• CEJS social media pages: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram
• Creation of www.seattleu.edu/cejs and www.seattleu.edu/sustainability
• Creation of several sustainability-related videos