Sustainability Master Plan 2025
Elon University’s sustainability efforts are guided by a campus wide Sustainability Master Plan (SMP). The initial SMP was completed by the Environmental Advisory Council in 2007 at the request of then-President Lambert. It established the university’s goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2037. An updated SMP was completed in 2015 to build upon the successes of the initial plan and focus on the next 10 years. In 2025, Elon launched a new Sustainability Master Plan that builds on the institution’s long-standing commitment to sustainability, supports the Boldy Elon strategic plan and furthers Elon’s mission and commitment to prepare students to be global citizens and informed leaders motivated by concern for the common good.
Sustainability Master Plan 2025
The Boldly Elon strategic plan calls on Elon University to “Engage the campus in sustainable practices to become carbon neutral by 2037 – invest in renewable energy, reduce campus energy consumption 20 percent, purchase offsets to make the global study program carbon neutral and continue to build LEED certified buildings – and prepare students to lead lives that build a sustainable future.” The 10-year Sustainability Master Plan 2025 is a roadmap for that bold commitment.
GOALS OVERVIEW
Click on each goal to learn more details.
Words in orange that are italicized are defined on the Sustainability Master Plan 2025 definitions webpage.
Academics: Equip more students (undergraduate, graduate and professional) with knowledge and skills to address global sustainability challenges in collaboration with faculty.
Dining: Integrate sustainability initiatives into Elon Dining operations to foster a campus culture that promotes behavior shift toward effective and measurable outcomes.
Engagement: Increase awareness of and engagement in sustainability programming throughout the Elon University community and enhance external communications of sustainability initiatives.
Facilities: Continue to develop sustainable facilities and incorporate efficient operating practices into new and existing facilities to model an environmentally conscious campus.
Purchasing: Strengthen sustainable procurement systems to support a sustainable economy, reduce emissions and reduce waste generation.
Technology: Integrate technology-driven sustainability practices into university operations to drive cultural and behavioral changes and minimize environmental impact at Elon.
Transportation: Advance the use of sustainable transportation systems and options to reduce the carbon impact of Elon students, faculty and staff.
Waste: Advance and support sustainable materials management systems by promoting more conscious campus purchasing and increasing recovery operations to move toward a zero-waste campus.
IMPLEMENTATION TEAMS
To ensure successful implementation of this plan, teams have been formed and tasked with implementing specific strategies. Each implementation team will meet regularly and has an executive sponsor, team lead, members and facilitator. The executive sponsor provides high-level support and guidance for the work. The team lead has subject matter expertise and is responsible for implementing the team’s strategies. The members contribute to implementation efforts and progress reporting. The facilitator provides meeting facilitation and compiles an annual report, which will be shared with senior leadership. The implementation teams are responsible for prioritizing actions, finalizing costs, submitting budget requests and mapping out the phased approach for each strategy over the 10-year plan. Adjustments to the goals and strategies may be made based on new information.
PLAN DEVELOPMENT
Development of the plan was led by the Office of Sustainability and took place over 18 months. Stakeholder engagement was a critical part of the plan development. The planning process centered the collective knowledge of staff, faculty and students from across campus to develop goals and strategies. It included listening sessions open to the entire campus community as well as working groups and small groups focused on specific topics. The draft plan was shared with the campus community for review and feedback. Over 300 students, faculty and staff participated throughout the plan development process.
To learn more about the plan development process and individuals involved, please visit the SMP Plan Development webpage.