Five Campus Sustainability Policy Rolling Out

For the first time, a university-wide sustainability policy, crafted by green leaders from all five campuses working with the president’s office, is being implemented across the UMass system.

After more than a year of analysis and development by the UMass Sustainability Council, the policy was formally approved by the UMass Board of Trustees in December of 2016.  The policy sets comprehensive goals across several sustainability metrics and mandates reporting to track progress.

The stated purpose of the policy reads:

The Sustainability Policy exemplifies the long-term commitment of the five campuses of UMass to be good stewards of fiscal and environmental resources. Our environmental responsibility is rooted in the University’s founding as a land-grant institution, designed to bolster good stewardship of land and industry as well as to serve the greater public good. With stewardship in mind, the efforts and achievements of each campus are celebrated while striving to be sustainability leaders, fulfilling our mission of advancing knowledge, and improving the lives of the people of the Commonwealth, nation, and world.

The guiding principles of the policy are:

 The University of Massachusetts is committed to responsible stewardship of resources and to demonstrating leadership in sustainable business practices. The University’s five campuses should be continuously improving our practices for sustainability consistent with available funding. The guiding principles for the University of Massachusetts Sustainability Policy include: Sustainability Strategic Planning, Clean Energy, Climate Resilience and Preparedness, Green Building Design and Sustainable Campus Operations, Sustainable Transportation, Waste Reduction and Recycling, Environmentally Preferable Purchasing, Sustainable Food Services, Sustainable Water Systems, and Academic and Research Programming and Community Engagement.

The full policy can be read or downloaded at: https://www.umassp.edu/sites/default/files/board-policies/T16-055-Sustainability%20Policy_rf012021.pdf