Our Commitment

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, 采购, 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.

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Resiliency 和 Well-being

    • Improve human 和 ecosystem health 和 well-being.

  • 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.
  • 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

  • 目标
    1. Reduce 2007 carbon emissions levels by 24 percent by 2020 和 45 percent by 2025.
    2. Produce 5 percent of DU’s 能源 needs on-site through renewable sources.
    3. Continue reduction of on-campus electrical consumption by 500,000 kWh/yr.
    4. Investigate a 20-year PPA for 20 percent of DU’s total 能源 needs.
    5. Reduce 能源 Use Intensity on 校园 to 40 percent below national st和ards.
    6. Reduce SOV commutes to less than 40 percent of total trips.
    7. Eliminate the need for first 和 second year students to have a car on campus.
    8. Create a “Green Fleet” consisting of 50 percent alternatively fueled vehicles.
    9. Achieve Bicycle Friendly University gold status by 2020, platinum by 2025.
    10. Achieve a 70 percent diversion rate, on the way to a waste-free campus by 2035.
    11. Advance DU’s role as an anchor institution by supporting 和 investing in local-, 女人- - - - - -, minority- 和 alumni-owned businesses.
    12. Create 和 implement a campus Sustainable Purchasing Policy.
    13. Write 和 implement a campus Sustainable Storm 水 Policy.
    14. Achieve a 水 Use Intensity of 30 percent above national st和ards.
    15. Reduce 2007 levels of indoor 水 use by 30 percent.
    16. Reduce 2007 levels of outdoor 水 use for irrigation by 40 percent.
    17. Purchase 40 percent of food from local or sustainably certified sources.
    18. Manage 50 percent of the grounds organically through a phased Integrated Pest Management approach, beginning with turf maintenance.
    19. 参与 the entire DU community in sustainability programming or practice.
    20. Provide training in sustainability through a social justice lens for all new students 和 employees.
    21. Assess sustainability literacy, attitudes 和 culture longitudinally through annual campus-wide surveys.
    22. 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.
    23. Increase the total students taking more than one sustainability-related course.
    24. Develop an Interdisciplinary Institute to serve as the backbone to support community-engaged collective impact through curriculum 和 研究 projects.
    25. Become AASHE STARS Gold by 2020 和 Platinum by 2025.