Sustainability Master Plan 2025 Q&A

While existing budgets will be utilized, additional funding will be necessary to achieve the strategies identified in the plan. This additional funding will be sought through the existing annual budget request process. Where applicable and feasible, external funding will be pursued. Some initiatives connected to this plan may receive donations to support them.

Throughout the plan, words in bold that do not identify a section of the plan are defined in the appendix of the plan.

To ensure successful implementation of the plan, teams will be formed and tasked with implementing specific strategies. Each implementation team will meet regularly and have an executive sponsor, team lead, members and facilitator. Based on the work of the implementation teams, an annual report will be compiled that outlines progress on the strategies. The annual report will be shared with senior leadership. There will be a public webpage that displays progress on the plan, and progress highlights will be communicated with the campus community and external stakeholders.

To ensure successful implementation of this plan, teams will be formed and tasked with implementing specific strategies (see above question response). Implementation will be phased over the 10-year plan, and adjustments to the goals and strategies may be made based on new information. The implementation teams will be responsible for prioritizing actions, finalizing costs, submitting budget requests and mapping out the phased approach for each strategy. The actions provided with each strategy are examples of the steps that need to be taken to achieve the strategy and are not intended to be an exhaustive list. This is intentional for plan conciseness and to allow for flexibility.

The estimated collective impact of the strategies in this plan is reducing or mitigating about 70% of Elon’s carbon emissions. The remaining 30% will need to be mitigated or reduced through additional efforts to reach carbon neutrality by 2037.

This is a campus wide Sustainability Master Plan. It includes undergraduate, graduate and professional programs. It includes the main campus in Elon, including the School of Health Sciences, and the School of Law campus in Greensboro.

The intent of the Academics strategies is to integrate sustainability into existing courses, engaged and experiential learning experiences, and research and creative inquiry endeavors, rather than add sustainability. While some new courses, experiences and endeavors may be developed and others modified, the Academics strategies do not require additional course hours for students.

A unit of instruction that has a primary and explicit focus on the integrated concept of sustainability and/or the interdependence of ecological and social/cultural/economic systems. This focus must be demonstrated in the title, high-level description of the course and/or additional course details provided by the instructor. Sustainability-focused courses may include:

• Foundational courses with a primary and explicit focus on sustainability (e.g., Introduction to Sustainability, Sustainable Development, Sustainability Science).
• Courses with a primary and explicit focus on the application of sustainability within a field (e.g., Architecture for Sustainability, Green Chemistry, Sustainable Agriculture, Sustainable Business). As sustainability is an interdisciplinary topic, such courses generally incorporate insights from multiple disciplines.
• Courses with a primary and explicit focus on a major sustainability challenge that requires students to consider the interdependence of ecological and social/cultural/economic systems (e.g., Climate Change Science, Environmental Justice, Global Poverty and Development, Renewable Energy Policy). The focus of such courses might be on providing knowledge and understanding of the problems and/or the tools for solving them, but they should bring a systems thinking approach to the challenge. (Based on STARS 3.0)

Academics Strategy 2 does not change how community partners are developed and maintained. The intent of this strategy is to make it clear that engaged and experiential learning with community partners is included in the strategy and encouraged. The purpose of this strategy is to determine where and how sustainability-focused engaged and experiential learning is already happening and expand participation in it.

Academics Strategy 1 does not change ELRs. The intent of this strategy is to identify ELRs with a sustainability focus that already take place and encourage more students to pursue ELRs that integrate sustainability.

There is a list of courses with sustainability content available online that includes sustainability-focused and sustainability-inclusive courses. The PDF linked toward the bottom of the linked webpage includes whether the course is focused or inclusive, which can be included on the webpage itself in the future.

The existing Sustainability Faculty Scholars program will continue and may be expanded. The specifics of additional faculty development have not been discussed but could include workshops, grants and other programs. The Academics Implementation Team will be responsible for determining the specifics.

Research activities, scholarly work and creative inquiry that explicitly address the concept of sustainability, further our understanding of the interdependence of ecological and social/cultural/economic systems or have a primary and explicit focus on a sustainability challenge. (Based on STARS 3.0)

The strategies outlined in the plan will rely on existing budgets, but additional funding will be required to fully implement them. This funding will be requested through the established annual budget process. When appropriate and possible, external funding sources will also be explored, and certain initiatives tied to the plan may benefit from donations.

All uneaten food from Elon Dining, including residential dining halls and catering operations, is currently composted at a nearby commercial compost facility. Efforts are being made by Elon Dining and the Kernodle Center for Civic Life to begin local food donations utilizing recovered food in addition to the existing donation cycle of meals cooked by Campus Kitchen that are donated to Allied Churches of Alamance County.

Sustainably or ethically produced products meet specific criteria as defined in STARS 3.0. The list of qualifying certifications and programs is extensive.
Plant-based foods include unprocessed and minimally processed foods (e.g., fruits, vegetables, nuts, herbs, etc.), culinary ingredients obtained directly from plants (e.g., oils, syrups, sweeteners, etc.) and processed foods that are predominantly derived from plants and/or fungi and contain no ingredients derived from animals. This is consistent with what is defined in STARS 3.0.

Though specifics regarding collaborations to boost participation have not been discussed, many departments already collaborate to create sustainability activities, including the Office of Sustainability; Kernodle Center for Civic Life; Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education; Gender and LGBTQIA Center; Outdoor Leadership Education; the Environmental Studies Department; Campus Recreation & Wellness; Life@Elon and more. The Engagement Implementation Team will be responsible for determining specific approaches to boost participation.

At Elon, community service is defined as work accomplished through direct service (i.e., tutoring, building homes, serving meals), indirect service (i.e., coordinating supply drives, donating blood, coordinating fundraisers), or advocacy (i.e., volunteering with a nonprofit organization to raise awareness of an issue or cause) with domestic and international communities that has a benefit beyond Elon’s campus. Community service can be completed in curricular or co-curricular contexts.

Sustainability activities include involvement in a sustainability-focused student organization, attending a sustainability-focused event or engaging in a sustainability-focused co-curricular activity (e.g., an outdoors program that follows Leave No Trace principles, programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills). (Based on STARS 3.0)

Elon currently offers an Employee Volunteer Program. Elon University recognizes the importance of being a good corporate citizen and the responsibility to help our surrounding communities. Staff are encouraged to become involved in the community by lending their voluntary support to programs that positively impact the quality of life within these communities. Regular full-time staff working 30+ hours per week will be granted up to sixteen (16) hours of paid volunteer service leave per calendar year. Additional incentives for faculty and staff have not been discussed, though they could be considered by the Engagement Implementation Team.

The campus has native and non-native plants on campus. The focus is on the ability to thrive, with minimal inputs, rather than native exclusively. Additional garden spaces, such as the Mooney Shade Garden and Camellia Garden near West, Virginia and Carlton, may be added to campus in the future. Perennials are incorporated into the campus landscape in some locations on campus to balance maintenance needs and desired aesthetics.

The Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) project is a collaboration with eight other colleges and universities for a large-scale solar facility located in Kentucky. While electricity generated by the project cannot be transmitted directly to the campuses because of regulatory barriers and distance, the benefits of investing in new additional renewable energy will be transferred to the schools. Elon University will be paying for an amount of energy equal to 100 percent of the electricity used by its campus. In exchange, Elon University will receive renewable energy credits, which can be used to account for greenhouse gas emissions related to purchased electricity. See Today at Elon article for more information.

Facilities Strategy 1 focuses on existing buildings and includes actions, such as developing and implementing a retro commissioning plan and continuing to implement energy conservation projects (in existing buildings). Strategy 4 includes actions to reduce water use in existing buildings, such as assessing existing plumbing fixtures and developing a replacement plan for high and medium flow fixtures and focusing on facilities with high potable water consumption.

Potable water is water that is safe to drink and is sometimes referred to as drinking water.

Facilities Strategy 5 addresses waste from construction and renovation projects through the use of LEED and the University’s Sustainability Design Standards. The current version of LEED requires construction and demolition waste management planning, and Elon incorporates this into non-LEED projects as well. The target for landfill diversion on projects is at least 75%.

A significant portion of the expected decrease in water consumption per square foot is from reducing potable water use for irrigation by expanding the use of collected stormwater for irrigation. This action regarding irrigation and the actions focused on indoor water use are expected to achieve the 15% reduction.

If additional funding is necessary to purchase sustainable products, a budget request will need to be submitted. Please also see the general Q&A on the topic of funding above.

The current guidelines are available online. They have not been updated in several years so need to be reviewed and updated to ensure they reflect current best practices. This will take time, which is why the target year in the strategy is 2028.

Specific resources have not been discussed, but there will likely be training and workshop opportunities as well as additional access to digital tools and platforms. The Purchasing & Technology Implementation Team will be responsible for determining specifics.

At this time, AI is not a main source of direct energy consumption for Elon’s campus. Elon’s AI computing is mostly done by cloud services, and some of those cloud services have renewable energy commitments.  Facilities Management continues to identify and implement energy efficiency and conservation measures throughout campus (as funding permits).

Outdated technology equipment including computers and other e-waste are recycled through a third-party vendor that specializes in processing the components of their raw materials for recycling. Any unusable equipment collected is processed to recycle any precious metals to further divert any toxic materials from the environment.

86.5% of Elon’s annual expenditures on electronics are EPEAT Gold registered and/or third party certified at the highest achievable level under a multi-attribute sustainability standard (based on February 2024 STARS report).

The specific incentives have not been determined but would likely be financial (e.g., gift cards, prizes, etc.). The Transportation Implementation Team will be responsible for determining the specific incentives.

The current commuting metrics are from the 2023 commuter habit survey.

The current targets in Transportation Strategy 1 balance progress, feasibility and budget.

Accessibility will be considered throughout the implementation of the Transportation strategies.

Public transportation is included. Sustainable commuting options (as defined in the appendix of the SMP) do include public transportation (including bus/shuttle, light rail or tram, commuter rail and ferry). Lower carbon transportation options (as defined in the appendix of the SMP) also include public transportation.

Improving sidewalk infrastructure is one of the actions discussed for Transportation Strategy 2. Depending on the location, this would need to be done in partnership with the Town of Elon and others as appropriate.

Share the Ride NC is an Elon-specific ride sharing service available to Elon University students, faculty and staff to help them find carpool partners. An app is available for this service.

Specifics of education campaigns have not been discussed. There will likely be a combination of signage and educational efforts such as programs, events and workshops. The Facilities Implementation Team will be responsible for determining specifics.

Incentives to reduce waste and encourage proper waste sorting have not been discussed, though they could be considered by the Facilities Implementation Team.

The Waste area of the plan focuses on non-hazardous waste, which is any substance or object which the institution discards, intends to discard, or is required to discard that is not classified as hazardous waste. This includes municipal solid waste (i.e., trash or rubbish) and non-hazardous recyclable and compostable materials. (Based on STARS 3.0)
Construction and demolition (C&D) waste is not included in this area of the plan and is addressed by Facilities Strategy 5.

Elon recycles paper, plastic, metal, glass, thin plastics, cardboard, printer and toner cartridges, household batteries, small electronics, writing instruments and textiles. Learn how to properly recycle these items online.

If a recycling bin contains too many non-recyclable items, the recycling hauler will reject it, causing the entire bin to be sent to the landfill. To prevent this, Facilities Management (FM) staff perform a quick scan and discard overly contaminated bags into landfill bins. When waste is collected from campus buildings, it is sorted by FM staff by bag color: clear bags – recycling, black bags – landfill and green bags – compost. The contents of clear recycling bags transported to FM are sorted by an FM staff person before they are placed into large recycling bins.