University of Dayton's sustainability goals for campus operations

Read about the University of Dayton's Facilities management and the Hanley Sustainability Institute leading campus partners in setting sustainability goals for campus operations.

Aug. 25, 2023

The University's office of energy and sustainability in facilities management, the Hanley Sustainability Institute, and 41 partners from 17 campus offices have created more than 50 sustainability goals to work on this academic year in operational areas including food and dining; fleet and transportation; procurement and waste; water; energy; and buildings and grounds.

Building on UD’s gold rating in the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System, our strong foundation as a leader in the Laudato Si Action initiative, and our Catholic Marianist tradition, the University designed the process to inspire and engage action, establish clear commitments and identify resource needs.

In more than 23 planning sessions during the 2022-23 academic year, key operations staff from across campus met and agreed on the broad themes around the campus operations sustainability goals listed below and committed to working with the office on implementing and tracking progress toward meeting the goals in the 10 campus operations sustainability categories. These same groups also identified areas for student and faculty engagement through curriculum, faculty and student research, and other hands-on learning opportunities. This engagement is connected to transforming our campus into a living and learning environment committed to addressing campus sustainability challenges. Campus operations sustainability goal themes: Buildings Design and construct high-performance building.

Operate and maintain high-performance, low-impact buildings.

Dining Increase food recovery; reduce food waste. Support Procurement for the Common Good. Provide sustainable dining opportunities.

Energy Increase building energy efficiency. Achieve carbon neutrality in scope 1 and 2 emissions.

Fleet Reduce fleet emissions.

Grounds Support low-impact development / green infrastructure. Integrate ecological stewardship.

Investing Increase green revolving fund use and reporting. Align investment strategies with sustainability goals. Align on-campus investing with sustainability goals.

Procurement Streamline property management stewardship and reuse. Integrate sustainability into procurement systems. Reduce impact of purchasing choices.

Transportation Increase coordination for sustainable transportation solutions. Increase student use of sustainable transportation options. Reduce employee transportation emissions.

Waste Reduce waste tonnage and increase diversion rates. Improve waste data tracking.

Water Improve water use efficiency/intensity.

The full list of sustainability goals, which will receive assistance from the University's Green Revolving Fund, will be shared in October 2023 as part of sustainability month.