Indiana University Task Force on Campus Sustainability

Type: Policy

Status: In effect

Source File: https://www.indiana.edu/~sustain/mission-statement/

Text:

Mission Statement
The mission of the Indiana University Task Force on Campus Sustainability is to develop a framework for Indiana University’s plan for sustainability. The university defines sustainability as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs¹. Specifically, seven areas will be considered:

1. Education, Outreach, and Student Engagement:
Promote awareness of sustainability goals and foster environmental literacy among the campus community through academic and co-curricular avenues as well as through academic research. Collaborate in sustainability outreach efforts with the surrounding community.

2. Resource Use/Recycling:
Examine the lifecycle of consumable items from purchasing to disposal. Once identified, the items’ lifecycles will be examined for maximum efficiency.

3. Energy
Promote energy awareness on the Bloomington campus by identifying the sources of greenhouse gas emissions and developing scenarios to reduce GHG emissions and become carbon-neutral; promote the development and implementation of an integrated energy master plan for the campus that focuses on reduction of energy waste, maximizes the practical use of renewable energy, and optimizes the efficiency of the IUB energy production and distribution facilities.

4. Built Environment:
Create a plan to promote sustainability through innovative design and engineering principles for functionality, safety, and energy efficiency without losing respect for campus culture and heritage; establish benchmarks for future energy density based on use of both new and historical buildings; use comparison with global best-practices as the metric for success.

5. Environmental Quality/Land Use:
Address issues of sustainability that influence the University landscape and the environment. Current scope includes: outreach and education; master planning; restoration of natural resource systems; maintenance practices; hydrology; hazardous material usage.

6. Transportation:
Promote sustainable transportation for students, staff, and faculty so as to maximize health, happiness, and safety while minimizing financial costs, energy costs, and environmental impacts.

7. Food:
Define a “sustainable campus food system.” Focus will be on healthy diet, low waste generation, regional orientation, and sustainable farming practices.

[1] This definition draws on the famous articulation of “sustainable development” by the World Commission on Environment and Development in Our Common Future (Oxford University Press, 1987, p. 8 ).