Compendium of Sustainability Initiatives in Higher Education

• Build a climate change garden.
• Create project-centered courses that facilitate student-initiated sustainability projects.
• Create sustainability field study programs.
• Host workshops to teach faculty how to incorporate sustainability into the classroom.
• Incorporate sustainability into general education requirements.
• Offer faculty grants to develop sustainability-related workshops or seminars.
• Signal sustainability offerings in the course catalog.
• Use natural reserves on campus as living-learning laboratories.

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• Connect faculty, staff, and students with government-affiliated sustainability research grants and opportunities.
• Connect faculty, staff, and students with private and nonprofit sector organizations for research grants and opportunities.
• Create a database of sustainability research needs and knowledge gaps from non-academic departments.
• Establish a grant program to fund “Living Lab” research projects on campus.
• Facilitate formation of sustainability-focused research groups or centers.
• Offer undergraduates opportunities to be research assistants for faculty, graduate students, and post-docs studying sustainability topics.
• Provide faculty research grants for sustainability-related research.
• Provide library research support for sustainability topics.

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• Communicate the institution’s sustainability commitment during new student orientation.
• Create volunteer programs to shut off lights in unused buildings and rooms.
• Designate large events like student orientation or football games as “Zero Waste Events.”
• Develop programs to build staff sustainability literacy.
• Develop sustainability-focused campus tours.
• Employ apps to track and reward sustainable behavior.
• Employ student interns to assist with sustainability efforts.
• Engage campus in “National Sweater Day” during which heating is reduced.
• Engage student groups to boost the visibility of sustainability social media activity.
• Establish a peer-to-peer sustainability education program for students.
• Establish a sustainability ambassador program for the Greek Life community.
• Establish a sustainability student mentorship program.
• Form a program to operate athletic programs more sustainably.
• Form a revolving fund for community sustainability projects.
• Form network of faculty subject matter experts to translate sustainability topics to the campus community.
• Host sustainability competitions for students in residential campus housing.
• Institute a program in which students mentor other students to pursue sustainability project grants.
• Introduce certification programs to incent employees to make office spaces greener.
• Launch a Sustainability Champions network of faculty, staff, and students.
• Share posters across campus that advertise progress on sustainability initiatives.
• Share real-time sustainability data on dashboards and displays across campus.
• Share the institution’s sustainability measures and progress in campus communications.
• Start a “Green Labs” designation program.
• Support sustainability centers where students can participate in sustainability projects.

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• Build community gardens.
• Formalize institutional partnerships with community leaders to advance sustainability.
• Lobby for public policy in support of sustainable solutions.

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• Apply cool roof systems to campus buildings.
• Build metering capabilities in individual buildings.
• Construct a green living wall.
• Construct insulating building envelopes.
• Design roofs to support renewable energy.
• Implement building automation systems to optimize heating, cooling, lighting, and appliances.
• Implement design measures to improve building resilience.
• Install smart thermostats in buildings.
• Institute commissioning practices.
• Institute recommissioning programs to tune-up existing building systems.
• Launch a continuous commissioning program.
• Mount window films on existing windows.
• Pledge to build capital projects aligned with leading sustainability building standards.
• Use incentives to engage building occupants in energy efficiency efforts.

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• Build solar canopies over parking lots and other paved areas.
• Close unoccupied facilities in off-peak seasons.
• Construct a chilled water loop system.
• Construct a hydroelectric power plant to produce campus power.
• Construct closed loop geothermal heating and cooling systems.
• Create a public dashboard to track energy use and share sustainability data.
• Employ wind turbine technology to produce electricity.
• Implement ductless fume hoods in laboratories.
• Implement heat recovery systems.
• Implement low-temperature hot water systems.
• Incentivize changes in the use of laboratory fume hoods by investigators.
• Install a solar hot water system.
• Install electric boilers.
• Install heat pumps for increased heating and cooling efficiency.
• Participate in demand response programs.
• Replace current lights with LEDs.
• Source renewable energy via a power purchase agreement.
• Upgrade HVAC systems with more efficient air conditioning units and ductworks.
• Use water source cooling technology instead of traditional refrigeration-based water chillers.
• Utilize an energy ticker to educate consumers about the real-time price of electricity.

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• Build a greenhouse to grow food for consumption on campus.
• Display the carbon footprint of meals and offer alternative low-carbon options.
• Donate excess food to local charities.
• Donate food waste to local farms.
• Institute tray-less dining.
• Procure food from local partners.
• Use aerobic food digesters to process food waste.
• Use anaerobic digesters to transform organic waste into energy.
• Use food waste prevention software.

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• Plant and allow trees, flowers, and vegetation to flourish on campus.
• Plant native or drought-tolerant vegetation.
• Preserve natural environments by instituting protected land status for sections of campus.
• Reduce the use of chemical fertilizers.
• Commit to purchasing Fairtrade goods.
• Integrate sustainability considerations into contracted service decisions.
• Make custodial and other cleaning activities more environmentally friendly.

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• Commit to purchasing Fairtrade goods.
• Integrate sustainability considerations into contracted service decisions.
• Make custodial and other cleaning activities more environmentally friendly.

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• Build housing on or closer to campus.
• Buy hybrid vehicles for vehicle fleet.
• Convert campus vehicles to run on propane instead of diesel fuel.
• Convert vehicle fleet to electric vehicles.
• Convert vehicle fleet to run on biodiesel.
• Erect electric vehicle charging stations.
• Erect hydrogen fueling stations.
• Install solar-powered charging stations for electric vehicles.
• Levy a carbon fee for all university-sponsored air travel.
• Make campus more pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly by expanding and connecting walking and biking pathways.
• Offer discounts that faculty, staff, and students can use to acquire bikes.
• Promote car sharing with an internal program or negotiated rates with car sharing companies.
• Provide a pre-tax payroll deduction to staff using public transit to commute to campus.
• Provide bicycle and low emission vehicle parking.
• Provide employees with personalized alternative travel plans.
• Recommend that faculty and staff to virtually connect to reduce academic and business travel.
• Reconsider telework policies to expand remote work opportunities.

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• Digitize paper files.
• Eliminate plastic bags in campus stores.
• Establish a platform through which staff and students can redistribute surplus goods.
• Implement refrigerant management policies to manage leaks and dispose of harmful chemicals.
• Install drinking fountains and filtered water stations.
• Institute dual-stream recycling.
• Invest in an organic composter.
• Place photo guides above waste and recycling receptacles.
• Replace single-use plastic items with reusable, recyclable, or compostable alternatives.

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• Implement rainwater harvesting systems.
• Install an on-site water recycling system.
• Install catchments to reduce storm drain capacity concerns.
• Install or retrofit low-flow water fixtures.
• Install pervious paving systems.
• Use condensate harvesting to reuse water in cooling towers.
• Use recycled water for campus irrigation.
• Utilize pool covers.

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• Bring together the leaders of student-run sustainability organizations.
• Create opportunities for students to communicate their sustainability agenda to campus leadership.
• Release a public statement from the president confirming an institutional commitment to sustainability.
• Use student green fees to fund student-selected sustainability projects.
• Utilize utility rebates to fund sustainability initiatives.

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• Donate leftover dining hall food to campus members who are food insecure.
• Introduce diversity, equity, and inclusivity hiring programs.
• Provide students with free course textbooks.
• Set up a fund for social justice, equity, and/or wellness initiatives.

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• Divest from fossil fuels.
• Screen institutional investments for their sustainability impact.
• Track and disclose the carbon footprint of investments.

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• Establish process to identify and improve inadequate remote workstations.
• Institute institution-wide welfare checks.
• Support university health and wellness programs.

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