Purdue University
PA-2: Sustainability Planning

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In April of 2020, the Campus Planning, Architecture and Sustainability department launched a new Physical Facilities Sustainability Master Plan. Based on lessons learned and developed from best practices gleaned from peer institutions and the private sector companies, the Plan consists of 13 goals across 5 major categories: Energy, Water, Materials, Buildings, and Grounds. Each goal was developed to be clearly defined, actionable, and measurable to elevate Purdue’s sustainability performance and to reinforce the goals of the Purdue Moves strategic plan. An overview and list of goals under the plan can be found at https://www.purdue.edu/physicalfacilities/units/cpas/sustainability/sustainability-master-plan/index.html. Examples of goals in each category are below.

Energy, E-1 – Cut Carbon Emission in Half: Reduce Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions by 50% by FY25, with FY11 as the baseline year. This will be done through a combination of production/distribution efforts, demand reduction strategies and behavior changes.

Water, W-1 - Reduce water consumption by 30%: Reduce potable water consumption inside buildings and for irrigation by 30% by FY25 on a gallon per square foot basis, with FY11 as the baseline year. Water is a critical resource not only for daily life, but also for the smooth functioning of campus operations. A smart approach to critical resource management is to focus on the best use and eliminating waste. Off-the-shelf products and current best practices allow us to adopt this practice in a way that is both practical and achievable.

Materials/Waste, M-1 - Recycle half of our waste: Achieve an annual campus waste recycling rate of 50% by FY25 as a regional leadership goal. Recycling success hinges largely on regular communication, clear signage and consistent infrastructure. We believe that a focus on these three elements will push us past the tipping point where we are recycling more than we are sending to the landfill.

Buildings, B-1 - LEED Silver certification for large projects: All projects with a total cost greater than $10,000,000 will achieve LEED Silver certification or better. LEED certification has been widely adopted in the design and construction industry for the past decade, and it offers the most comprehensive approach to delivering a high-performance building. Currently, Purdue has a number of LEED-certified facilities.

Grounds, G-1 - Plant one tree per day: Plant at least 365 new trees per year with the total trees planted by FY25 landing at 1,869, which represents the year Purdue was founded. Trees are a critical element to creating vibrant, open spaces and healthy ecosystems. We looked to our past when developing the 1869 Tree Planting Master Plan by incorporating species native to our ecoregion and species that have evolved over centuries to thrive in our region of the state.

The Purdue Equity Task Force, whose creation was included in one of the Purdue’s Next Moves initiatives, was charged with developing and implementing a plan with specific actions to ensure all members of the university community have the opportunity to experience all Purdue has to offer equitably, focusing on structural and environmental barriers to success of students, faculty, and staff of color and initially focusing on the specific experience of Black Boilermakers. After reviewing the current state of equity and inclusion on the Purdue West Lafayette Campus and the past and present investments and initiatives, the task force made recommendations to the Board of Trustees who, in turn, formulated three measurable pillars to be implemented by an ETF cross-disciplinary implementation team. More details on the plan and a link to the strategy document, containing details on the pillars and associated measurable goals, can be found at https://www.purdue.edu/provost/documents/diversity-equity-embed.pdf. Examples of goals under each pillar are below.

Representation

- Graduate Students: Expand research and academic partnerships with HBCU/other institutions, develop recruitment pipelines with current students and alumni
- Faculty: Expand African American Studies through new faculty positions in the School of Interdisciplinary Studies

Experience

- Undergraduate Students: Invest in existing and new college-level programs (BOP, MEP, etc.)
- Staff: Increase staff involvement in professional development programs

Success

- Undergraduate Students: Number of Black undergraduates at Purdue WL
- Staff: Retention and promotion of Black staff