Santa Clara University
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination

Santa Clara University has five committees dedicated to supporting the Center for Sustainability’s implementation of Goal 2 of Santa Clara University’s Strategic Plan: “Strengthen SCU's culture of environmental sustainability by becoming a climate-neutral, zero-waste campus that serves as a living laboratory for developing global solutions rooted in Catholic social thought.” Specifically, the Sustainability Curriculum Advisory Council "supports the infusion of sustainability across the Santa Clara University curriculum in collaboration with the Center for Sustainability." The Carbon Neutrality Task Force is been charged with developing "an update to SCU's Carbon Neutrality Plan that enables the University to achieve its climate neutrality goals by the end of 2020 withstanding the simultaneous expansion of the geographic area and population of the campus." The Center for Sustainability Staff Associates "assist with implementing initiatives as well as provide guidance and feedback about Center for Sustainability strategy." The Transportation Demand Management Task Force develops a management plan that "enables the University to achieve its climate neutrality goals by the end of 2020 withstanding the simultaneous expansion of the geographic area and population of the campus." The Campus Sustainability Investment Fund (CSIF) Committee manages the Campus Sustainability Investmet Fund and meets quarterly to select project submissions to receive funding for implementing projects that reduce SCU's greenhouse gas emissions.

The Sustainability Curriculum Advisory Council is a group of faculty that include representatives from each School and College. The Carbon Neutrality Task Force is composed of no more than 10 task force members that include faculty, staff, students, University Operations, the University Finance Office, Information Services, and the Global Engagement Office. The Center for Sustainability Staff Associates are composed of staff members that have been involved as Workplace Sustainability Liaisons for at least three years. The Transportation Demand Management Task Force is composed of no more than 13 members that include faculty, staff, undergraduate and graduate students, as well as representation from Human Resources, Planning & Projects, and the city of Santa Clara. The CSIF Committee is composed of 10 members that include faculty, staff, and students.

The Center for Sustainability advances academic and public understanding of the ways in which social justice and sustainability intersect by integrating principles of social, environmental, and economic sustainability into campus operations, academic and student life, and outreach programs. The Center hosts events and programs, implements initiatives, and features stories that relate to helping the University achieve climate neutrality, practice responsible consumerism, develop a culture of sustainability and use the campus as a living laboratory.

In addition to 6 annual events, the Center for Sustainability is home to numerous ongoing programs that promote sustainability on campus. For example, the Sustainability Liaison Network includes groups of people from all areas of campus that meet once a month to discuss sustainability in their departments/organizations. Together, they completed over 200 sustainable actions last year alone, reaching over 4,000 people in total. The Center also collaborates with operations and academic departments to spearhead sustainability initiatives and raise students' awareness. The Center recently created the Campus Sustainability Investment Fund which allows students, faculty, and staff to submit projects that aid in SCU's goal of climate neutrality and have them funded.