Doc. T16-055
Passed by the Board of Trustees on December 9, 2016
Purpose
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.
I. Introduction
The University of Massachusetts which includes five campuses in Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth, Lowell and the Medical School in Worcester has made a collective commitment to be “good stewards of resources”. This includes responsibly managing our fiscal resources, investing in our capital assets, continuing our commitment to being environmentally responsible, and, in direct alignment with UMass’ core mission, providing transformative education and research in the area of sustainability. Each of the University’s campuses conducts a wide variety of sustainable programs and services many of which are unique to its campus population but all of which serve to make UMass as a whole better stewards of our environmental resources.
In 2007, the University President and all five campus Chancellors signed the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). In so doing, the University committed to developing a plan for achieving carbon neutrality, taking concrete initial steps to achieve that, and publishing required progress reports. During that same year, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Order 484 called “Leading by Example” (LBE) established aggressive targets for state agencies including reducing greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption. In 2009, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Order 515, known as the Environmental Purchasing Policy, was signed to promote the use of clean technologies, recycled materials, and less toxic products. That Environmental Purchasing Policy is committed to reducing impact on the environment and enhancing public health by procuring Environmentally Preferable Products (EPP) and services whenever such products and services are readily available. Currently, the University performs required compliance activities in accordance with Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection regulations relating to solid waste, hazardous waste management, air pollution, underground storage tanks, wastewater, and other applicable regulations.
Since taking office in January of 2015, Governor Charlie Baker has indicated his commitment to energy and sustainability efforts with a focus on diversification of the Commonwealth’s energy sources. The Governor’s administration has been actively developing policy proposals and advocating for alternative sources of energy. In July 2016, the Legislature approved and the Governor signed an energy diversification law implementing requirements for utilities to enter into long-term commitments for off-shore wind and hydroelectric power. The new law also creates opportunities to finance energy improvements for commercial properties, addresses improvements to renewable power storage; and prioritizes gas leak identification and remediation. While the law does not directly impact the University energy portfolio, the legislation aligns with the University's goal of reducing carbon emissions and increasing renewable energy consumption.
Addressing climate change and carbon pollution have recently become more prevalent topics in the national discourse. On August 3, 2015, President Barack Obama announced a historic commitment to clean energy and reducing carbon emissions through the “Clean Power Plan.” The Plan creates the first-ever carbon pollution standards for power plants and is designed to reduce carbon emissions by 32 percent by 2030 from 2005 levels. It further sets goals for each state based on its energy production and allows states to tailor their own state-specific plans to meet the Clean Power Plan goals. The Clean Power Plan bolsters efforts to expand renewable energy generation, build clean energy infrastructure, and promote energy conservation practices.
Over the course of this same period, the University has made historic investments in capital infrastructure to meet the need of increasing student demand but also to address the deferred maintenance needs of many of our campus buildings. Continued infrastructure investment will be needed to address outstanding needs and position our campus infrastructure for the future. As part of these efforts, strategic investments in energy efficiency, renewable energy, emissions reductions, recycling and waste reduction, water conservation, sustainable transportation, and other building/campus improvements have to be incorporated into all efforts of infrastructure and operational planning.
This Sustainability Policy has been developed using the principles currently employed by the campuses for planning and investments, and strategic initiatives such as the ACUPCC and Leading by Example. The University System has a responsibility to the people of the Commonwealth to take a leadership role in preserving resources for future generations by making sustainable decisions today.
II. Policy Statement
Overarching Principles
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 goals below have been developed to address key elements of these guiding principles.
Principles with Goals
Sustainability Strategic Planning - Integration of sustainability planning, practices, and strategies into the University’s strategic planning processes.
Goal 1.1 – Complete a sustainability plan with a focus on energy projects at each campus, or update any existing plans, to align with the principles and goals outlined in this policy in order to adequately and efficiently understand the energy needs and potential sustainability projects on each campus.
Clean Energy - Supports the development and use of clean and renewable energy sources.
Goal 2.1 – Achieve UMass’ commitment to carbon neutrality by 2050 or as specified through the sustainability planning process occurring through the development of campus-specific action plans, as identified in Goal 1.1 as being necessary to achieve carbon reduction commitments and meet sustainability objectives, and UMass system’s guiding principles towards this goal.
Goal 2.2 – Procure a defined amount of annual electricity consumption through renewable and clean energy sources as identified in Goal 1.1 as being necessary to achieve carbon reduction commitments and meet sustainability objectives.
Climate Resilience and Preparedness - Implementation of strategies to mitigate or reduce environmental impact.
Goal 3.1 – Build climate resilience and preparedness standards into the University’s capital planning process, emergency management and business continuity planning.
Green Building Design and Sustainable Campus Operations - Strategies to address emissions associated with designing, building, maintaining, and operating campus buildings and grounds.
Goal 4.1 – Any new construction must meet the MA Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Plus green building standards, (LEED most current version) or other standards as identified in Goal 1.1 as being necessary to achieve carbon reduction commitments and meet sustainability objectives, and continue to research and employ improved sustainable building practices.
Goal 4.2 – Reduce energy consumption, increase efficiency, and determine goals consistent with capital investments and annual programs implemented in support of energy consumption reduction as identified in Goal 1.1 as being necessary to achieve carbon reduction commitments and meet sustainability objectives.
Sustainable Transportation - Integrating sustainable best practices for the use and maintenance of campus fleets, student/employee commuters, and public transportation options.
Goal 5.1 – Reduce vehicle fuel consumption of the University vehicle fleet through promoting the use of public transportation, reducing the number of single occupancy vehicles and increasing the use of other alternative fuel transportation for faculty, staff, and students.
Waste Reduction and Recycling - Promote strategies to encourage waste reduction and re-use and acknowledge the importance of preventative measures.
Goal 6.1 – Employ strategies around preventative measures in waste diversion to promote source reduction, re-use and recycling of used materials.
Environmentally Preferable Purchasing - Implement a procurement approach to access environmentally-conscious products whenever applicable and available.
Goal 7.1 – Establish Environmentally-Preferable Products Procurement Program (EPP) and continue to implement annual procurement goals to move toward alignment with the standards of the Environmental Purchasing Advisory Council wherever appropriate and consistent with available funding.
Sustainable Food Services - Supporting sustainable food systems through food and beverage purchases.
Goal 8.1 – Strive for each campus food service operation to procure sustainable food products while maintaining accessibility and affordability for all students and campus patrons.
Sustainable Water Systems - Reducing campus water withdrawals can reduce pressures on local aquifers, streams, rivers, lakes, and aquatic wildlife.
Goal 9.1 – Reduce potable water usage and determine goals consistent with capital investments and annual programs implemented in support of reducing potable water.
Academic and Research Programming and Community Engagement - Ensuring Sustainability is part of Academic and Research programming and part of community engagement efforts.
Goal 10.1 – The UMass Sustainability Council will work with their respective campus curriculum governance units to identify where Academic and Research Programming and Community Engagement involving Sustainability already exists, and to explore more formal incorporation into core curriculum and identified learning outcomes.
III. Reporting
The University will measure and track progress on achieving defined goals through the current reporting requirements of the ACUPCC and Leading by Example. With accountability and transparency in mind, the University commits to provide an annual report regarding each campus’ sustainability activities to University Board of Trustees.
The University is committed to transparent and consistent reporting standards on sustainability metrics to critical external organizations. It is valuable to the University and the organizations to measure the achievements towards goals on a defined scale and to refine strategies to achieve continuous improvement. The University participates in numerous organizations advancing sustainability and the Commonwealth’s Leading By Example initiative which all require reporting as described below.
- Annual Board of Trustees Report: provide an annual update on sustainability efforts across the University and detail areas of progress towards defined sustainability goals as well as on-going needs in order to achieve established benchmarks.
- STARS Reporting: provide necessary updates to the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS), a program of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) which measures performance in sustainability, and encourages accountability and transparency in all reporting institutions. The reporting system collects data across various metrics organized into four categories: Academics, Engagement, Operations, and Planning & Administration. Each campus shall continue any STARS reporting in progress and work towards appropriate STARS ranking most applicable to the individual campus moving forward while striving for excellence in sustainability.
- ACUPCC Reporting: As a member of ACUPCC, institutions are required to report metrics to the organization in order to track progress towards the Presidents’ Climate Commitment. ACUPCC incorporates the STARS reporting system for its interim reports, which will stream-line the reporting requirements to this organization.
- Leading by Example or its Successor Executive Order: The Commonwealth of Massachusetts program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions requires annual reporting on energy consumption and related costs.
IV. Delegation
The President and Chancellors may delegate all or any part of their authority set forth in this Policy in accordance with the University’s delegation policy.
V. Standards
The President, in consultation with the Vice President(s) and Chancellors, will issue administrative standards to implement this policy.