Sustainability

Goal 1: Ourselves
Embed sustainability into the One VCU culture

Strategy: Incorporate a wide range of sustainability topics throughout the academic curriculum

• Develop a modular general education interdisciplinary sustainability 101 course.
• Develop discipline-specific sustainability course modules that can be incorporated at the college/school/department level.
• Develop a system to track courses that incorporate sustainability content, prioritizing ease of use for faculty and students. 
• Further develop partnerships between VCU Sustainability and academic departments to increase experiential learning and independent study opportunities for student-led projects. 
• Increase opportunities for employees to partner with faculty and students to participate in experiential learning opportunities and student-led projects.

Strategy: Embed sustainability into VCU and VCU Health operations

• Communicate and promote available resources; share information about the One VCU Sustainability Plan
• Expand sustainability as a component of student and employee orientation.
• Align procurement processes and solicitations with the goals of the One VCU Sustainability Plan. 
• Develop outreach campaigns around high-impact and high-visibility areas such as waste and recycling, alternative transportation, energy conservation, and workforce and student well-being. 
• Develop a resource for current students and employees to learn about the One VCU Sustainability Plan and how sustainable behaviors can be incorporated into their daily lives.
• Expand VCU Sustainability’s existing volunteer program and increase volunteer opportunities for students and employees. Encourage university employees to use their enhanced community service leave in order to participate in these opportunities. 
• Embed sustainable principles in large-scale events such as graduation, commencement, employee service awards, etc.
• Develop new well-being resources that encourage healthy lifestyles and support the needs of the VCU community.

Strategy: Optimize VCU’s physical infrastructure

• Continue to employ green building standards (e.g., LEED, VEES) for new construction and renovation projects.
• Update VCU design and construction standards to reflect sustainable building standards for projects of all sizes and scopes.
• Engage outside experts to assess options for building decarbonization.
• Utilize Practice Greenhealth resources to develop “green operating room” processes and procedures. 
• Establish “green labs” processes and procedures.
• Evaluate vehicle fleet size and composition to reduce emissions and optimize vehicle use.
• Expand infrastructure to support electric vehicles on campus. 
• Invest in additional campus bike and pedestrian safety infrastructure. 
• Increase the biodiversity of our campus footprint by expanding usage of native plantings in landscape design. 
• Establish a schedule for building recommissioning so existing facilities continue to function according to the original design intent. 
• Expand the use of environmentally-friendly products in grounds, housekeeping and other maintenance services. Transition from gas-powered to electric equipment. 
• Update facilities and technological infrastructure to support online and hybrid classes, meetings and events.
• Increase use of locally-sourced food in dining facilities.

Strategy: Establish a standing One VCU sustainability advisory committee

• Committee membership will consist of representatives from VCU and VCU Health and include employees, students and community members.
• The committee will be charged with setting strategic priorities for plan implementation, monitoring progress and regularly communicating updates to the VCU community.

Goal 1 metrics:

• Percentage of sustainability-related course offerings
• Percentage of academic departments with sustainability course offerings
• Number of student projects for which the institution utilizes its campus as a living laboratory for sustainability research and learning
• Number of outreach materials, publications and campaigns related to sustainability
• Percentage of students and employees engaged in volunteer activities
• Number of events that meet the criteria for green events
• Percent of procurement spend that adheres to sustainable procurement policies
• Percentage of newly constructed or renovated building space certified under a green building rating system for design and construction
• Percentage of existing building space certified under a green building rating system focused on the operations and maintenance of existing buildings
• Percentage of fleet that are alternatively fueled or powered
• Percentage of total grounds covered by a specific plan to protect or positively affect identified endangered and vulnerable species and/or areas of biodiversity importance
• Percentage of total grounds managed organically or according to a program to protect or positively affect identified endangered and vulnerable species and/or areas of biodiversity importance 

Ourselves: Embed sustainability into the One VCU culture

Strategy: Incorporate a wide range of sustainability topics throughout the academic curriculum

• Increase experiential learning and independent study opportunities for student-led projects.
• Develop a system to track courses that incorporate sustainability content, prioritizing ease of use for faculty and students.

Strategy: Embed sustainability into VCU and VCU Health operations

• Increase opportunities for employees to partner with faculty and students in experiential learning opportunities and student-led projects. 
• Develop outreach campaigns targeting high-impact and high-visibility areas such as waste and recycling, alternative transportation, energy conservation, and workforce and student well-being. 
• Align procurement processes and solicitations with the goals of the One VCU Sustainability Plan.
• Develop new well-being resources that encourage healthy lifestyles and support the needs of the VCU community.

Strategy: Optimize VCU’s physical infrastructure

• Continue to employ green building standards (e.g., LEED, VEES) for new construction and renovation projects.
• Increase the biodiversity of our campus footprint by expanding usage of native plantings in landscape design.

Goal 2: Our community
Enhance student, patient, workforce and community health and well-being by restoring the natural environment and minimizing VCU's environmental impact 

Strategy: Reduce greenhouse gas emissions and work to achieve carbon neutrality.

• Establish a project team with representatives from VCU and VCU Health charged with identifying and modeling viable options, including interim targets, to achieve carbon neutrality in line with the university’s 2050 goal. 
• Engage outside experts as needed to institute effective methods for reducing energy consumption.
• Launch an outreach campaign designed to encourage behavior changes to reduce energy consumption and encourage alternative transportation.

Strategy: Transform VCU into a zero-waste campus.

• Improve campus recycling infrastructure and procedures.
• Establish waste reduction and diversion targets, focusing on single-use plastics and other disposables in athletics, dining, housing and laboratories.
• Establish a university policy regarding waste minimization; update existing university policies to significantly reduce the use of single-use plastics.
• Increase diversion of food waste through composting and food recovery.
• Employ a circular sustainable materials management approach to reduce the negative life cycle impacts of materials, including hazardous materials and e-waste
• Increase reuse of durable goods through continued support of the VCU Free Store, partner with local organizations that specialize in reuse, and develop enduring collaborations between administrative, operational and academic units.
• Launch an outreach campaign designed to encourage behavior changes to reduce waste and increase recycling. 

Strategy: Reduce stormwater runoff and potable water consumption to protect the James River

• Implement measures to reduce potable water consumption in areas of high use.
• Launch an outreach campaign designed to encourage reduction of potable water consumption. 
• Employ stormwater strategies to reduce runoff from buildings and grounds.

Strategy: Enhance biophilic connection

• Utilize signage and outreach campaigns to educate the public on campus ecology.
• Grow and improve campus green space.
• Achieve Bee Campus USA certification through the Xerces Society.
• Reestablish Tree Campus Higher Education recognition through the Arbor Day Foundation.

Strategy: Expand engagement with local communities to address economic, environmental and social sustainability challenges.

• Develop a public lecture series focused on issues of local relevance. 
• Increase the number of collaborative projects between VCU and the local community.
• Continue to collaborate with our colleagues at the City of Richmond; identify synergies between RVA Green 2050 and the One VCU Sustainability Plan.
• Partner VCU and VCU Health with local organizations and members of the community to promote participation in well-being programs.
• Initiate partnerships with external institutions to build a network of collaboration and information sharing.

Goal 2 metrics:

• Greenhouse gas emissions 
• Waste reduction and waste diversion
• Number of campus food service locations that employ a food waste prevention system
• Potable water consumption
• Signs and campaigns related to campus ecology
• Number of formal community partnerships to advance sustainability where underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations are engaged as equal partners
• Pounds of food grown on campus used to support students

Our community: Enhance student, patient, workforce and community health and well-being by restoring the natural environment and minimizing VCU's environmental impact

Strategy: Reduce greenhouse gas emissions and work to achieve carbon neutrality.

• Establish a project team with representatives from VCU and VCU Health charged with identifying and modeling viable options, including interim targets, to achieve carbon neutrality in line with the university's 2050 goal.

Strategy: Transform VCU into a zero-waste campus.

• Refresh outreach campaign designed to encourage behavior changes to reduce waste and increase recycling. 
• Increase reuse of durable goods through continued support of the VCU Free Store, partner with local organizations that specialize in reuse, and develop enduring collaborations between administrative, operational and academic units. 
• Improve campus recycling infrastructure and procedures.
• Establish waste reduction and diversion targets, focusing on single-use plastics and other disposables in athletics, dining, housing and laboratories. 

Strategy: Reduce stormwater runoff and potable water consumption to protect the James River

• Employ stormwater strategies to reduce runoff from buildings and grounds.

Strategy: Enhance biophilic connection

• Utilize signage and outreach campaigns to educate the public on campus ecology.
• Reestablish Tree Campus Higher Education recognition through the Arbor Day Foundation.

Strategy: Expand engagement with local communities to address economic, environmental and social sustainability challenges.

• Initiate partnerships with external institutions to build a network of collaboration and information sharing.

Goal 3: Our world
Inspire innovation in research, education and healthcare to advance environmental health, human health, health equity and economic vitality 

Strategy: Increase cross-disciplinary sustainability research

• In alignment with the One VCU Research Strategic Priorities Plan, strengthen research infrastructure to support cooperation and encourage researchers to develop joint sustainability projects.

Strategy: Develop the next generation of clinical workforce, faculty, research, civic leaders and professionals with expertise in sustainability

• Explore the creation of a multidisciplinary bachelor's, master’s and/or doctoral degree program.
• Prepare the clinical workforce to address health-related impacts of climate change through updates to health sciences curricula, lecture series and professional education opportunities.

Strategy: Foster sustainability-focused partnerships at VCU, in our community and around the world

• Support research that directly contributes to positive economic, environmental and health outcomes in local communities. 
• Build a network of VCU employees and community experts who are engaged in sustainability-related research, education and healthcare.
• Foster collaborative, local, national and global partnerships benefitting VCU and local communities.

Strategy: Broadly share VCU’s sustainability impact

• Develop and execute a strategic communications plan.

Goals 3 metrics:

• Percentage of research employees who are engaged in sustainability research 
• Percentage of academic departments that include at least one employee who conducts sustainability research
• Percentage of employees that participate annually in sustainability professional development and training
• Percentage of continuing education courses that are sustainability-related
• Number of formal community partnerships to advance sustainability where underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations are engaged as equal partners 

Our world: Inspire innovation in research, education and healthcare to advance environmental health, human health, health equity and economic vitality

Strategy: Increase cross-disciplinary sustainability research

• In alignment with the One VCU Research Strategic Priorities Plan, strengthen research infrastructure to support cooperation and encourage researchers to develop joint sustainability projects.

Strategy: Foster sustainability-focused partnerships at VCU, in our community and around the world

• Support research that directly contributes to positive economic, environmental and health outcomes in local communities.