Climate Action Plan - ACUPCC Reports - Climate Commitment

Leadership and Modeling Goal 4Make significant continuous achievements toward sustainability goals and commitmentsDesired Outcomes and Measuresa. The University reviews sustainability goals, assesses progress annually, and reportson progressThe University of Minnesota has made solid progress toward sustainability goals andcommitments. There is a close tie between achieving the University’s social, economic,and environmental sustainability goals and its top-three-public-research-universitystrategy. Awareness of progress to date is also important if the University is to successfullycompete for external funding and attract premier research and students. Thechallenge for a leading institution like the University of Minnesota is to bring these alltogether into a synergistic whole.Leadership and Modeling Goal 5Embrace an organizational culture and individual decisions that support an inclusive,engaged, active, and sustainable healthy communityDesired Outcomes and Measuresa. Communication goals are met to ensure transparency about sustainable practicesb. Incentive rewards support sustainable choicesc. The University measures social shifts related to sustainabilityThere is evidence that the campus community is embracing change. On the Universityof Minnesota Twin Cities campus, the Sustainability Studies Minor, started in 2006,is available to all majors. It currently enrolls 268 students from 17 majors in the coreclasses and is growing. A number of student groups focus on sustainability and cosponsorcampus events. More than 3,500 individuals and 160 University of Minnesotaunits have pledged to conserve energy as part of the University’s new “It All AddsUp” energy conservation campaign. This campaign is being rolled out initially on theTwin Cities campus and eventually will be available for all campuses.Some departments have formed green teams; that structure could be institutionalizedso they can share tools and best practices. Organizational culture changes are difficultand require key concepts to penetrate into budget decisions and permeate our process30 • U of M Systemwide Sustainability