The development process for the Sustainability Master Plan 2025 was led by the Office of Sustainability and centered around stakeholder engagement. 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.

Process

In September 2023, the university started the plan development process, which brought stakeholders from across campus together to define shared goals, draft a strategy for meeting them and implement them over time.

 

Learn more about the listening sessions held in fall of 2023.

Learn more about the working groups.

Learn more about the feedback received on the draft plan.

Listening Sessions

In September 2023, three listening sessions were held to provide campus community members with an opportunity to contribute ideas toward a more sustainable Elon.

In total, 93 campus community members attended a listening session or completed an online input form. The below graphs represent about 80 of those who answered the questions posed.

Participant Responses

 

Working Groups

Working groups of staff, faculty and students were formed in fall of 2023 to develop draft goals and strategies for the plan on the following topics:

  • Academics: curriculum, research
  • Administrative Services: e.g., purchasing, technology, dining services, print services, mail services
  • Engagement: co-curricular activities (e.g., student organizations, on-campus employment, service learning, cultural events, intramurals), employee engagement
  • Facilities: energy management, operations + maintenance (including water use and custodial services), construction, landscaping + grounds
  • Transportation: campus fleet, commuting, business travel, global engagement travel
  • Waste Reduction: reducing + reusing waste, recycling, composting

The working groups met a total of six times, starting in late October 2023 through early May 2024.

Working Group Members

Small Groups

Several small groups consisting of working group chairs, campus subject matter experts and implementers met during the summer of 2024 to refine and prioritize the draft goals and strategies to develop the draft plan. They also discussed budget needs, phasing and implementation structures.

Small Group Members

Draft Plan Feedback

In the fall of 2024, a Draft Sustainability Master Plan 2025 was shared with the campus community for review and feedback. There were several in-person sessions and an online survey for collecting feedback on the plan.

Click here to view responses to the frequently asked questions received in the feedback.