Lehigh continues to make great progress toward several of its Campus Sustainability Plan 2020 goals. In this article, we highlight key progress toward our goals in the areas of transportation, office operations, and employee education.
Operations
GOAL FOR 2020: Optimize fuel efficiency and mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions of our vehicles and bus services by optimizing bus routes and developing a plan for vehicle and bus replacement.
Transportation & Parking Services recently purchased a BYD all electric vehicle and bus for its fleet. These zero emissions vehicles are helping to optimize fuel efficiency and mitigate the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the Lehigh fleet!
GOAL FOR 2020: Extend faculty/staff peer-to-peer sustainability outreach program to reach an additional 8% of faculty and staff by certifying 10 new offices per year.
The Sustainable Office Program is a voluntary, self-guided program designed for faculty and staff to take the lead on promoting sustainable workplace practices. The program was first launched in 2015 and, as of now, 19 offices are certified and 25 more are in the process of becoming certified. This program currently covers just under 20 percent of the faculty and staff population. The goal is to continue to certify 10 new offices (or about an additional 8 percent of faculty and staff) per year in the program.
Campus & Community Engagement
GOAL FOR 2020: Cover sustainability topics in new employee orientation and/or in outreach and guidance materials distributed to new employees, including faculty and staff.
Since 2015, the Office of Sustainability has been covering sustainability topics in each new employee staff orientation. Through this collaboration with Human Resources, the Office of Sustainability has been able to reach all new staff who have been hired at Lehigh. The Office of Sustainability is not currently reaching faculty during their orientation.
For the next three years, the Campus Sustainability Plan 2020 will guide departments and resources to advance our institutional commitment to sustainability through the implementation of goals. How will YOU help Lehigh reach its sustainability goals? Check out Lehigh University’s Campus Sustainability Plan 2020 and let us know what you think!