In 2007, Emerson College committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2030. To define a clear set of strategies to achieve that goal, along with new, complimentary 2030 sustainability goals, we developed Sustainability to 2030, our Sustainability Action Plan for 2023-2030. Below are the seven goals and 20 strategies that make up our plan and inform our daily work.
Goal 1: Achieve carbon neutrality by 2030.
Strategies to achieve goal:
- Strategy 1.1: Develop and implement a comprehensive energy management plan to reduce emissions from electricity and heating.
- Strategy 1.2: Switch to zero emissions steam for heat and hot water.
- Strategy 1.3: Develop and implement a campus-wide sustainable purchasing policy to reduce single-use purchases and emissions from campus vehicles and purchased goods.
- Strategy 1.4: Reduce/offset scope 3 emissions from commuting and travel through creative incentive programs and offsets.
- Strategy 1.5: Partner with Bon Appétit to measure and reduce scope 3 emissions from campus dining.
- Strategy 1.6: Move beyond neutrality with more direct sourcing of renewable power. In evaluating options for renewable resources, the College will analyze the impact of those initiatives upon local and surrounding communities.
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals supported:
- SDG 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
- SDG 13: Climate Action: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
- SDG 15: Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
Emerson College values supported:
- Civic Engagement
- Financial Strength
Goal 2: Leverage our resources and strengths to ensure that both the College community and its neighbors thrive in the face of climate change.
Strategies to achieve goal:
- Strategy 2.1: Create a virtual resilience hub to serve the Emerson and local communities.
- Strategy 2.2: Ensure equitable access to nature through the establishment of two new outdoor spaces on or near campus and through access to the outdoors off campus.
- Strategy 2.3: Implement policies to ensure that Emerson students, faculty, and staff remain safe while maintaining the core operations of the college in the event of extreme climate impacts.
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals supported:
- SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, & Infrastructure: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
- SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
- SDG 13: Climate Action: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts)
Emerson College values supported:
- Academic Excellence
- Civic Engagement
- Innovation
- Financial Strength
Goal 3: Integrate holistic, justice-centered approaches in our sustainability actions in a consistent manner that values local and global communities.
Strategies to achieve goal:
- Strategy 3.1: During the initial planning process, the Equity and Justice working group reviewed each working group's goals and strategies to ensure that they focused explicitly on justice-centered actions.
- Strategy 3.2: During the implementation planning process, create a framework for use across campus to ensure that all sustainability actions adhere to established climate and environmental justice principles.
- Strategy 3.3: Use our storytelling capacity to create and share climate and environmental justice narratives in our local and global community.
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals supported:
- SDG 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
- SDG 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
- SDG 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
- SDG 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries
- SDG 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
- SDG 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
Emerson College values supported:
- Academic Excellence
- Civic Engagement
- Internationalization and Global Engagement
Goal 4: Reduce the total waste created on campus by 30 percent from 250 pounds to 175 pounds of waste per campus user per year.
Strategies to achieve goal:
- Strategy 1.3: Develop and implement a campus-wide sustainable purchasing policy to reduce single-use purchases and emissions from campus vehicles and purchased goods.
- Strategy 4.1: Increase justice-centered community engagement and education about behavior changes and waste reduction and diversion.
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals supported:
- SDG 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
- SDG 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
Emerson College values supported:
- Civic Engagement
- Financial Strength
Goal 5: Increase our waste diversion rate to 70 percent.
Strategies to achieve goal:
- Strategy 1.3: Develop and implement a campus-wide sustainable purchasing policy to reduce single-use purchases and emissions from campus vehicles and purchased goods.
- Strategy 5.1: Improve waste infrastructure, including bin location and signage, donation opportunities, and data collection with a focus on accessible design.
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals supported:
- SDG 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
- SDG 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
Emerson College values supported:
- Civic Engagement
- Financial Strength
Goal 6: Apply our academic strengths toward contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Strategies to achieve goal:
- Strategy 6.1: Add at least one field-relevant sustainability learning outcome to every department, published on the department or program website.
- Strategy 6.2: Ensure that at least 20% of all syllabi across all levels of instruction (including graduate) include sustainability-related content and assignments.
- Strategy 6.3: Develop and launch a Sustainability Communication major.
- Strategy 6.4: Develop and implement a cross-institution sustainability curriculum to be implemented outside of the classroom (with Housing and Residential Life, Career Services, and others)
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals supported:
- SDG 4.7: By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development
Emerson College values supported:
- Academic excellence
- Civic Engagement
- Internationalization and Global Engagement
- Innovation
Goal 7: Ensure investments and purchases reflect an institutional commitment to environmental, social, and economic sustainability.
Strategies to achieve goal:
- Strategy 7.1: Make a sustainability-focused fund an option for employee retirement accounts and educate employees on the option.
- Strategy 7.2: Work with the board's investment committee to ensure that the College’s endowment reflects an institutional commitment to environment, social, and governance (ESG) outcomes.
- Strategy 1.3: Develop and implement a campus-wide sustainable purchasing policy to reduce single-use purchases and emissions from campus vehicles and purchased goods.
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals supported:
- SDG 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries
- SDG 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
- SDG 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
Emerson College values supported:
- Civic Engagement
- Internationalization and Global Engagement
- Financial strength
About the process
Emerson participated in the Green Ribbon Commission’s Collaborative Climate Action Planning cohort for the 2022-2023 academic year to support the development of this plan. Over the course of the year, stakeholders from across the college came together to identify our existing strengths and weaknesses, develop strategies to improve across a range of sustainability indicators, and chart a course towards a carbon neutral and resilient campus by 2030.
Please contact sustainability [at] emerson.edu (sustainability[at]emerson[dot]edu) to request more information.
