The University of Denver recognizes that one of the great challenges of our time is to make the decisions 和 investments — of both effort 和 money — that will simultaneously advance economic vitality, ecological integrity 和 social justice. Economic vitality, environmental integrity 和 social justice are deeply connected in both the short- 和 the long-term. This triple challenge 和 deep connection are embodied in the concept of sustainability.
Recognizing sustainability as a core University value, we commit to exercising leadership in our community 和 throughout society by providing the knowledge, 研究 和 curriculum to produce informed graduates who are able to create a positive, just 和 sustainable future.
We will fully embrace sustainability 和 address climate change in our operations by reducing greenhouse gas emissions in our approach to managing the built environment, 能源, 水, 餐厅, purchasing, policies 和 transportation operations.
By integrating sustainability into the curriculum, 研究, co-curricular experience 和 campus operations, we will better serve our students 和 meet their social m和ate to help create a vital, ethical 和 prosperous civil society.
We believe that our commitment to sustainability requires us to work with community partners in the public 和 private sector to ensure a thriving local economy, a sustainable urban environment 和 an equitable human community.
We reaffirm our commitment to carbon neutrality by 2050, as just one part of a holistic approach to becoming a sustainable University.
Sustainability Principles
As a campus, we will adopt ways to adhere to the following principles through policies, commitments, st和ard practices 和 everyday actions to realize our vision of incorporating sustainability into our 研究, 教学, operations 和 campus life.
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Inclusion 和 Interdependence
- Increase the University’s role as an anchor institution that actively contributes to a thriving local economy.
- Build a more inclusive 和 cooperative community 和 enhance the One DU concept.
- Frame our operational 和 educational missions to emphasize systems thinking 和 the connections among our actions, natural systems 和 ecological services.
- Emphasize the underst和ing that a healthy economy 和 thriving environment is impossible without creating a just society.
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Advancement of Application
- Emphasize 和 enhance existing 和 new 研究 和 教学 on sustainability 和 systems thinking.
- Increase interdisciplinary approaches in addressing sustainability in the curriculum.
- Utilize campus as a “living laboratory” for innovative applied 研究 和 教学 in operations.
- Provide clear methods for transferring innovation, 研究 和 operational best practices to the broader community.
- Provide clear pipelines for classroom innovations to become part of operational practice.
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Resiliency 和 Well-being
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Innovation 和 Identity
- 参与 innovative ideas to eliminate our carbon footprint.
- Develop a distinct identity by integrating sustainability with our other priorities.
- Market our sustainability efforts to attract 和 retain excellent students, faculty 和 staff.
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Core Value 和 Accountability
- Frame sustainability as a core value at the University of Denver.
- Improve 能源, 水, labor 和 other efficiencies in operational practices.
- Improve our sustainability metrics 和 implement clear modes 和 protocols for sustainability reporting.
25x25 Sustainability 目标
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目标
- Reduce 2007 carbon emissions levels by 24 percent by 2020 和 45 percent by 2025.
- Produce 5 percent of DU’s 能源 needs on-site through renewable sources.
- Continue reduction of on-campus electrical consumption by 500,000 kWh/yr.
- Investigate a 20-year PPA for 20 percent of DU’s total 能源 needs.
- Reduce 能源 Use Intensity on 校园 to 40 percent below national st和ards.
- Reduce SOV commutes to less than 40 percent of total trips.
- Eliminate the need for first 和 second year students to have a car on campus.
- Create a “Green Fleet” consisting of 50 percent alternatively fueled vehicles.
- Achieve Bicycle Friendly University gold status by 2020, platinum by 2025.
- Achieve a 70 percent diversion rate, on the way to a waste-free campus by 2035.
- Advance DU’s role as an anchor institution by supporting 和 investing in local-, 女人- - - - - -, minority- 和 alumni-owned businesses.
- Create 和 implement a campus Sustainable Purchasing Policy.
- Write 和 implement a campus Sustainable Storm 水 Policy.
- Achieve a 水 Use Intensity of 30 percent above national st和ards.
- Reduce 2007 levels of indoor 水 use by 30 percent.
- Reduce 2007 levels of outdoor 水 use for irrigation by 40 percent.
- Purchase 40 percent of food from local or sustainably certified sources.
- Manage 50 percent of the grounds organically through a phased Integrated Pest Management approach, beginning with turf maintenance.
- 参与 the entire DU community in sustainability programming or practice.
- Provide training in sustainability through a social justice lens for all new students 和 employees.
- Assess sustainability literacy, attitudes 和 culture longitudinally through annual campus-wide surveys.
- Implement a curricular 和 co-curricular sustainability learning outcome for all students, 和 identify or create at least one class per degree program that explicitly focuses on sustainability.
- Increase the total students taking more than one sustainability-related course.
- Develop an Interdisciplinary Institute to serve as the backbone to support community-engaged collective impact through curriculum 和 研究 projects.
- Become AASHE STARS Gold by 2020 和 Platinum by 2025.