Overall Rating Reporter - expired
Overall Score
Liaison Troy Goodnough
Submission Date Feb. 28, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Minnesota, Morris
PA-2: Sustainability Planning

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete Reporter Troy Goodnough
Sustainability Director
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Published Plans That Address Sustainability 

Strategic Plan

Does the institution have a published strategic plan or equivalent guiding document that includes sustainability at a high level? :
Yes

A brief description of how the institution’s strategic plan or equivalent guiding document addresses sustainability:
We have a campus strategic plan that incorporates sustainability objectives and complements other plans, including the campus master plan and climate action plan.

A copy of the strategic plan:
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The website URL where the strategic plan is publicly available:
http://digitalcommons.morris.umn.edu/camp_doc/11/

Sustainability Plan 

Does the institution have a published sustainability plan (apart from what is reported above)? :
No

A copy of the sustainability plan:
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The website URL where the sustainability plan is publicly available:
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Climate Action Plan 

Does the institution have a published climate action plan (apart from what is reported above)? :
Yes

A copy of the climate action plan:
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The website URL where the climate action plan is publicly available:
http://reporting.secondnature.org/dashboard/dashboard/?next=/##2105

Other Published Plans 

Does the institution have other published plans that address sustainability or include measurable sustainability objectives (e.g. campus master plan, physical campus plan, diversity plan, human resources plan)? :
No

A list of other published plans that address sustainability, including public website URLs (if available):
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Measurable Sustainability Objectives 

Curriculum

Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Curriculum?:
Yes

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Curriculum and the published plans in which each objective is included:
As mentioned in a previous section, grant awards up to $3,000 have been designated for course development in this area. Our goals is to have at least 5 grants in this area between 2015 and 2016.

Research 

Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Research?:
No

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Research and the published plans in which each objective is included:
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Campus Engagement 

Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Campus Engagement?:
Yes

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Campus Engagement and the published plans in which each objective is included:
One goal includes instituting a sustainability literacy assessment in 2015 and future years.

Public Engagement 

Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Public Engagement?:
Yes

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Public Engagement and the published plans in which each objective is included:
For example: Integrate sustainability-themes into Soup and Substance conversations each year. Further develop the community-climate education project. Hold at least 3 community meetings that intersect with climate, renewable energy, and economic development each year.

Air & Climate 

Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Air & Climate?:
Yes

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Air & Climate and the published plans in which each objective is included:
See our Second Nature Climate Commitment reporting and goals.

Buildings 

Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Buildings?:
Yes

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Buildings and the published plans in which each objective is included:
New buildings will comply with B3 and have LEED ratings. The last two buildings built at Morris have achieved LEED Gold certification.

Energy 

Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Energy?:
Yes

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Energy and the published plans in which each objective is included:
See our Second Nature reporting. For example: past goals included a 70% reduction (in Scope I, II, III) in our greenhouse gas emissions by 2015. Our goal is to obtain 60% of our electricity from wind. Our goal is to offset 70% of our traditional fossil fuel usage by biomass.

Food & Dining 

Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Food & Dining?:
Yes

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Food & Dining and the published plans in which each objective is included:
Morris has a goal, in partnership with Sodexo, to have all sustainable seafood by 2015, 20% sustainable food by 2020. The Morris master plan has a number of recommendations around developing a system to better understand the carbon footprint of our campus food system, incorporating more seasonal menus, and more.

Grounds 

Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Grounds?:
Yes

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Grounds and the published plans in which each objective is included:
Examples of grounds crew planning efforts: Improve the composting process by incorporating the use of a compost sifter. Continue to improve the campus tree canopy, by planting more diverse and climate-tolerant trees. Continue preparations for possible emerald ash borer invasion by managing the campus ash tree population.

Purchasing 

Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Purchasing?:
No

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Purchasing and the published plans in which each objective is included:
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Transportation 

Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Transportation?:
Yes

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Transportation and the published plans in which each objective is included:
For example: Conversion of vehicle fleet to alternative-fuel/hybrid vehicles to increase the fuel economy of the fleet. Convert existing parking to green spaces. Coordinate travel for students between Morris and common travel locations, like the Twin Cities, providing preferential parking locations for low-emission vehicles and more.

Waste 

Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Waste?:
Yes

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Waste and the published plans in which each objective is included:
To measure an increase in waste diversion towards our composting system each year. To measure a reduction in our non-recyclable/compostable waste hauled each year.

Water 

Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Water?:
Yes

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Water and the published plans in which each objective is included:
Examples include: restoration of a wetland near campus, creating some wetland/drainage areas on-campus, analyzing volumes of campus water discharged to the Pomme de Terre River, improving the sump pump system at the biomass gasifier plant, and more.

Diversity & Affordability 

Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Diversity & Affordability?:
Yes

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Diversity & Affordability and the published plans in which each objective is included:
An example from our strategic plan: increase U.S. students-of-color to 25% of total enrollment by 2016.

Investment & Finance 

Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Investment & Finance?:
No

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Investment & Finance and the published plans in which each objective is included:
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Wellbeing & Work 

Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Wellbeing & Work?:
Yes

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Wellbeing & Work and the published plans in which each objective is included:
An example from the Morris strategic plan: modernize the Food Service Building to improve preparation and serving facilities to offer a greater variety of fresh, healthy, locally-provided food of improved quality that is attractive to a more diverse student body.

Other Impact Areas 

Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address other areas (e.g. arts and culture or technology)?:
No

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address other areas and the published plans in which each objective is included:
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Optional Fields 

Does the institution have a formal statement in support of sustainability endorsed by its governing body (e.g. a mission statement that specifically includes sustainability and is endorsed by the Board of Trustees)? :
Yes

The formal statement in support of sustainability:
Yes, the University of Minnesota Board of Regents passed a policy on sustainability in 2004. There have been subsequent sustainability planning initiatives since then. https://regents.umn.edu/sites/regents.umn.edu/files/policies/Sustain_Energy_Efficiency.pdf

The institution’s definition of sustainability (e.g. as included in a published statement or plan):
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Is the institution an endorser or signatory of the following?:
Yes or No
The Earth Charter No
The Higher Education Sustainability Initiative (HESI) No
ISCN-GULF Sustainable Campus Charter No
Second Nature’s Carbon Commitment (formerly known as the ACUPCC), Resilience Commitment, and/or integrated Climate Commitment Yes
The Talloires Declaration (TD) No
UN Global Compact No
Other multi-dimensional sustainability commitments (please specify below) No

A brief description of the institution’s formal sustainability commitments, including the specific initiatives selected above:
We are one of the only schools in Minnesota to have signed the full Second Nature Climate Commitment -- which commits us to doing carbon reduction planning and campus-community resilience planning. We have won statewide and national awards in both of these areas.

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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