| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 73.33 |
| Liaison | Maria Dahmus |
| Submission Date | Nov. 30, 2023 |
University of St. Thomas
PRE-2: Points of Distinction
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
N/A |
Maria
Dahmus Director Office of Sustainability Initiatives |
Name of the institution’s featured sustainability program, initiative, or accomplishment:
A brief description of the institution’s featured program, initiative, or accomplishment:
The University of St. Thomas received a LEED Platinum certification in December of 2020 for its new residence Hall, Frey Hall (formerly Tommie East). The building is the first in the Midwest to certify platinum under the rigorous LEED v4 new construction rating system for midrise residential buildings. Frey Hall is a five-story, 139,300-square–foot residence hall, which can house up to 260 students. Some of the sustainable features of the building include:
- Energy efficiency above industry standards
- Electric vehicle charging stations
- Collection of compostable waste
- High-efficiency appliances and low-flow water fixtures
- An underground rainwater infiltration system
- Over 8,000 square feet of vegetated roof area
- Carpet made from recycled content
- Indoor, secure bicycle parking
Which of the following impact areas does the featured program, initiative, or accomplishment most closely relate to?:
Website URL where more information about the accomplishment may be found:
STARS credit in which the featured program, initiative, or accomplishment is reported (if applicable):
A photograph or document associated with the featured program, initiative, or accomplishment:
Name of a second highlighted sustainability program/initiative/accomplishment:
A brief description of the second program/initiative/accomplishment:
The University of St. Thomas 2025 Strategic Plan includes sustainability as a strategic priority. This is the first time sustainability has been included as a major theme and priority in our University's Strategic Plan.
The overarching vision for our "Live and Work Sustainably" Strategic Priority is that every member of the St. Thomas community will engage in sustainable practices and that all of our students will be offered multiple pathways for engagement, skills development, and professional experiences across academic disciplines, preparing them to advance sustainability in any career.
Our "Live and Work Sustainably" Strategic Priority includes the following success metrics.
Success Metrics:
-Achieve gold rating as measured by the AASHE Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS) sustainability ranking.
-Obtain a minimum of LEED silver certification for new buildings larger than 25,000 square feet.
-Reduce annual carbon emissions by over 50 percent below our baseline while working toward a goal of carbon neutrality by 2035.
-By 2025, 20 percent of all undergraduate courses offered by the university include sustainability components.
-Achieve a solid waste diversion rate of 70 percent by 2025 and explore strategies to work towards a zero-waste goal.
-By 2025, 60 percent of students and 25 percent of employees will be served by a sustainability peer educators program.
-Deepen our engagement with the global Catholic climate movement organizations including the Laudato Si' Network and the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.
-Achieve five-year fundraising goal for sustainability efforts of $5 million by 2025.
As of February 2023, we are 84% towards achievement of our success metrics.
Which impact areas does the second program/initiative/accomplishment most closely relate to?:
Website URL where more information about the second program/initiative/accomplishment may be found:
STARS credit in which the second program/initiative/accomplishment is reported (if applicable):
A photograph or document associated with the second program/initiative/accomplishment:
Name of a third highlighted program/initiative/accomplishment:
A brief description of the third program/initiative/accomplishment:
The student experience is a central focus of our sustainability efforts at the University of St. Thomas. The overarching vision for our Campus Sustainability Strategic Plan is to create a culture that prepares students to be sustainability leaders during their university years and beyond through university-wide engagement. We have developed an integrated system of student-focused initiatives, both curricular and co-curricular, to achieve this vision.
Our Student Sustainability Leadership Program (SSLP) is our primary form of co-curricular sustainability programming that offers opportunities throughout the year for all students to engage with sustainability. Through hands-on sustainability and leadership experience, SSLP cultivates student leaders on campus to engage their peers across the university with sustainability through campus outreach and peer-to-peer education. Student sustainability leaders bring sustainability education to all students at the university and increase sustainability knowledge and action on campus by hosting events, information tables, and interactive activities on topics such as waste reduction, energy and water use, and multi-modal transportation; running a free clothing pop-up; collaborating with clubs and sustainability-themed learning communities, and more.
Which impact areas does the third program/initiative/accomplishment most closely relate to?:
Website URL where more information about the third program/initiative/accomplishment may be found:
STARS credit in which the third program/initiative/accomplishment is reported (if applicable):
A photograph or document associated with the third program/initiative/accomplishment:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.