Every year the Office of Sustainability compiles and releases an Annual Progress Report detailing the key progress made for each of the 113 Goals outlined in Lehigh’s Sustainability Strategic Plan 2030 (SSP 2030). One of Lehigh University’s visions is a commitment to environmental, social, and economic sustainability. With the adoption of the ten-year SSP 2030 in October 2020, Lehigh committed to focusing on a vision of an inclusive community where sustainability is an integral part of the institutional ethos.
In addition to significant progress towards goals, the second SSP 2030 Progress Report showcases Lehigh’s achievements and recognitions received. Beyond goal progress, Lehigh released its Climate Action Strategy, which puts Lehigh on a path towards net carbon neutrality by 2040 and positions Lehigh as a leader in sustainability and climate action. Lehigh also received recognition from two prestigious national and global higher education sustainability programs; a gold rating on AASHE’s Sustainability Tracking Assessment & Rating System (STARS) report for the second year in a row, and was named a 2021 Tree Campus Higher Education Institution by the Arbor Day Foundation.
With six focus areas and 113 near, intermediate, and long-term goals, the SSP 2030 has set Lehigh on a path to becoming a true leader in higher education sustainability efforts. Due to Lehigh's strong affiliation with the UN and the global significance of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), each of the goals in the plan is mapped to one or more of the 17 UN SDGs to transform the world.
Read below to see a highlight of the progress made in 2022 toward goals in each of the 6 focus areas.
Climate Action
In April 2022, Lehigh completed Climate Action Goal 3 by releasing its Climate Action Strategy (CAS) which outlines 9 major emissions reduction strategies and establishes a goal of achieving net carbon neutrality by 2040. The CAS is a key component of the SSP 2030 and positions Lehigh as a leader in sustainability and climate action. The strategy establishes a 'Pathway to Zero' emissions to positively impact Lehigh's bottom line and achieve net carbon neutrality by 2040. The CAS is now in the implementation phase.
Educational Experience
In 2022 the Campus Sustainable Impact Fellowship (CSIF) was launched completing Educational Experience Goal 6. The CSIF program has been performing very well, but faculty development and project development will be key to the continued success of the program. As of 2023, fourteen students and eight faculty mentors are working on six faculty-guided projects through the CSIF. Projects include Echo Hawks, EcoRealm Environments, ThermoSolar, Food Carbon and Water Footprint, Energy and Water Dashboard, and Transforming Lehigh’s Plastic Recycling Stream.
Campus Operations
In 2022 Lehigh completed Campus Operations Goal 40 by applying for a Tree Campus USA designation. In 2021, a Campus Tree Advisory Committee was established, a Tree Care Plan was developed, and in the Fall of 2021, a baseline campus tree inventory was completed. Lehigh submitted a Tree Campus USA application in 2022 and was named a 2021 Tree Campus Higher Education Institution by the Arbor Day Foundation. The Tree Campus Higher Education program provides a framework for higher education institutions to “grow their community forests, achieve national recognition, and create a campus their students and staff are proud of” (Arbor Day Foundation). Lehigh’s historic dedication to the preservation and stewardship of trees and forests in South Bethlehem endures today, and through the Tree Campus USA certification, Lehigh will ensure proper species selection, promote tree health, and ensure trees are replaced when removal becomes necessary as outlined in the Tree Care Plan and guided by the Campus Tree Advisory Committee.
Culture & Engagement
Culture and Engagement Goal 3 is continuing to make notable progress in creating and sustaining “a campus culture that acknowledges and celebrates diversity, fosters inclusive excellence and is committed to being anti-racist.” For the third year in a row, Lehigh was selected as a recipient of the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award by INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. In conjunction with Human Resources, the Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity’s Cornerstones of Community training program continue to see high numbers of attendees, even with a nearly fully virtual slate. The Deputy Vice President for Equity & Community, in collaboration with the Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning, offered the annual Inclusive Excellence in Teaching Workshop in a hybrid format in 2022 to over 150 participants, continuing the conversation about how faculty can best create a culture of belonging in their classrooms for all students.
Health & Wellness
In July of 2022, Health & Wellness Goal 5 was completed by finalizing a partnership with a local farm and piloting a Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. Since its launch in July, the Willow Haven Farm Market Box CSA Program has continued to expand and reach new Lehigh Faculty and Staff.
Focused Leadership
Making progress towards the completion of Focused Leadership Goal 6, Lehigh received a gold rating on AASHE’s Sustainability Tracking Assessment & Rating System (STARS) report for the second year in a row. STARS is a global sustainability framework created by and for colleges and universities to transparently self-report and measure their sustainability performance. Lehigh achieved a gold rating with a score of 72.75, which was 10.58% higher than the previous year. Notably, Lehigh also scored 66% higher than the average peer-reporting institution in the operations category, which is the focus area in the SSP 2030 with the largest number of goals. Read the full AASHE STARS 2022 report here.
Click here to read the full Sustainability Strategic Plan 2022 Progress Report and see all that the Lehigh community has accomplished in making Lehigh a more sustainable campus.