| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 53.22 |
| Liaison | Jay Price |
| Submission Date | March 3, 2023 |
University of Tennessee at Knoxville
PA-2: Sustainability Planning
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 4.00 |
Daniel
Covington Data Analyst and Office Administrator Facilities Services |
Does the institution have a published plan or plans that include measurable sustainability objectives that address sustainability in curriculum and/or research?:
A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives related to academics and the plan(s) in which they are published:
Does the institution have a published plan or plans that include measurable sustainability objectives that address student, employee, or community engagement for sustainability?:
A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives related to engagement and the plan(s) in which they are published:
Re-launch the Green Office Program to engage faculty and staff with campus
sustainability
Conduct campus climate change survey to assess attitudes about climate
change
Launch the Green Portal, a tool to connect faculty, staff, students, and
community members around Knoxville working on sustainability issues
Establishment of the Hunger Studies Working Group and the Student Basic
Needs Coalition, both working to address food insecurity on campus
Numerous annual sustainability events and campaigns organized by the Office
of Sustainability.
Does the institution have a published plan or plans that include measurable sustainability objectives that address sustainability in operations?:
A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives related to operations and the plan(s) in which they are published:
Chancellor Plowman signed the Zero Waste
Commitment, committing to increase UT's waste
diversion rate to 50% by 2030
Does the institution have a published plan or plans that include measurable sustainability objectives that address diversity, equity, and inclusion; sustainable investment/finance; or wellbeing?:
A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives related to administration and the plan(s) in which they are published:
Does the institution have a published strategic plan or equivalent guiding document that includes sustainability at a high level? :
The institution’s highest guiding document (upload):
Website URL where the institution’s highest guiding document is publicly available:
Which of the following best describes the inclusion of sustainability in the highest guiding document?:
The institution's sustainability plan (upload):
Website URL where the institution's sustainability plan is publicly available:
Does the institution have a formal statement in support of sustainability endorsed by its governing body?:
The formal statement in support of sustainability:
Zero Waste Commitment
January 2020
Prepared by the Committee on the Campus Environment
and the Office of Sustainability for Chancellor Donde Plowman
The Vol Vision Strategic Plan indicates that the University of Tennessee, Knoxville is committed to “embracing
the responsible stewardship of resources.” In furtherance of that stewardship, the university will strive to
achieve Zero Waste*, starting with the commitment to divert 50% of its waste by 2030. Our success will be built
upon the following four pillars:
1) Expand Infrastructure & Diversion Strategies
2) Enhance Communication & Training
3) Emphasize Reuse, Repair & Redistribution
4) Campus Community Support
The institution’s definition of sustainability:
The Office of Sustainability defines sustainability as "providing a clean, affordable, accessible, and equitable environment that meets the needs of all students, faculty, and staff, while ensuring that future members of the UT community have access to the same resources so that they can meet their needs."
Is the institution an endorser or signatory of the following?:
| Yes or No | |
| The Earth Charter | No |
| The Higher Education Sustainability Initiative (HESI) | No |
| ISCN-GULF Sustainable Campus Charter | No |
| Pan-Canadian Protocol for Sustainability | No |
| SDG Accord | Yes |
| Second Nature’s Carbon Commitment (formerly known as the ACUPCC), Resilience Commitment, and/or integrated Climate Commitment | No |
| The Talloires Declaration (TD) | Yes |
| UN Global Compact | No |
| Other multi-dimensional sustainability commitments (please specify below) | Yes |
A brief description of the institution’s formal sustainability commitments, including the specific initiatives selected above:
The Talloires Declaration: The University of Tennessee, Knoxville is a signatory.
http://ulsf.org/96-2/#US
Other multi-dimensional sustainability commitments:
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville is the state’s flagship university and a public land grant institution. As such, the university’s mission includes contributing to the economic, social, human, and environmental capital of the US and globally. Through such engagement, UT embraces the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as one means to understand as well as gauge our impact. The SDGs serve as a call to action for all countries to promote prosperity while protecting the planet, and universities are in an excellent position to contribute to achieving these goals because of the existing knowledge, research, and innovative thinking that is foundational to higher education.
https://cge.utk.edu/sdg17/
Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainability planning efforts is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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.