University of Denver
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination

Mission: “The Sustainability Council advocates for just and sustainable communities by engaging the people and improving practices at the University of Denver.” (adopted by the Sustainability Council, April 2015)



II. Council Role



The Sustainability Council will act as a coordinating, review, and ideas-generating body (1) articulating shared “just and sustainable community” goals in the University of Denver community, (2) coordinating university departments, staff and student groups, faculty members and community partners in achieving those goals and ensuring that all parties are aware of initiatives occurring and working collaboratively, (3) reviewing relevant proposals and policies and making recommendations to the executive committee about them, and most importantly, (4) establishing accepted metrics for measuring progress toward those goals.



The Sustainability Council will remain distinct from the DU Center for Sustainability maintaining clear shared governance. The Center for Sustainability does sustainability work on campus through a broad range of specific projects. Because the Center for Sustainability gathers information directly relevant to the functions of the Sustainability Council, the two organizations will continue to coordinate closely. A representative of the Center will always serve as a member of the Council to ensure that relationship.

Although the Sustainability Council is primarily a volunteer-based organization, its full members must include representatives from major university departments, student groups, and community partners involved in sustainability efforts at the University of Denver. These should include:



Required voting members

A representative from the Provost’s office

A representative from the Center for Sustainability

A representative from Facilities Management and Planning

A representative from Facilities Management and Planning, Utilities*

A representative from Facilities Management and Planning, Maintenance*

A representative from Facilities Management and Planning, University Architect Office

A representative from Facilities Management and Planning, Parking and Mobility Services*

A representative from Custodial services*

A representative from Housing and Residential Education*

A representative from University Marketing and Communications

A representative from IT*

A representative from Shared Services*

A representative from the Faculty Senate

A representative from the Staff Advisory Council

A representative from Graduate Student Government

A representative of Undergraduate Student Government (USG) or the USG Sustainability Committee

A representative of each academic college

CAHSS, RSECS, GSPP, GSSW, CNSM, DCB, Law, KSIS, UCOL

A representative from the Office of Diversity Equity and Inclusion



*indicates operational working group



Additional members for data-driven decision making and reporting

A representative from the current dining and catering contractor

A representative from each chartered student organization with goals related to sustainability (as defined by that organization)

A representative from the Center for Community Engagement and to advance Scholarship and Learning

A representative from Transportation Solutions

A representative from the University Planning and Budget Office

A representative from the Registrar’s Office

A representative from the Financial Aid Office

A representative from Human Resources

A representative from Internationalization

A representative from Student Affairs and Inclusive Excellence

A representative from University Libraries

A representative from Institutional Research & Analysis

A representative of a Registered Neighborhood Organization adjacent to the University

The Center for Sustainability serves as a bridge between campus and community sustainability efforts, the curriculum, and student educational experience. The interdisciplinary nature of sustainability provides a platform for engaging graduate and undergraduate students in applied, experiential, project-based learning with authentic outcomes. Grounded in many disciplines, sustainability challenges facing the University, the Denver metro area, and the world provide complex problems that require creativity and innovation from a diverse community of stakeholders and learners. This challenge provides a model for student involvement, leadership, and knowledge development requiring collaborative teamwork. The Center also provides an interface between creative, emergent leadership opportunities for volunteer faculty, staff and students across the university, to allow this informal network to connect into university and community operations, maintaining high rates of engagement. As a repository and hub of campus sustainability information, the Center for Sustainability is also responsible for external institutional sustainability reporting (a broad approach addressing facilities practices, orientation, purchasing, curriculum, affordability, diversity, job satisfaction, community engagement practices, greenhouse gas reductions, etc). As the face of University of Denver’s sustainability efforts, and the only university office of sustainability in Denver focused on building community collaborations, the an important aspect of the Center for Sustainability is the development of partnerships for educational, outreach, and innovative solutions.

The Sustainability Council and the Center for Sustainability updated the council operating charter.
The Transportation Committee of the Sustainability Council led the application process to earn Bicycle Friendly University Bronze certification.
The Center for Sustainability, Facilities, and Government and Community relationships partnered with the city on a dockless bikeshare pilot and a campus shuttle pilot .
The Sustainability Council, Center for Sustainability, and Student Life incorporated sustainability into orientation for all students.
The Sustainability Council and the Center for Sustainability worked across campus to develop an internal proposal for a just sustainability research institute.