Washington University in St. Louis
EN-11: Inter-Campus Collaboration
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.00 / 3.00 |
Cassandra
Hage Sustainability Manager Office of Sustainability |
Is the institution currently a member of a national or international higher education sustainability network?:
The name of the national or international sustainability network(s):
- The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)
- University Climate Change Coalition member, serving on the steering committee
- The Ivy+/Listening Post Sustainability Consortium
- US Green Building Council (USGBC) National member
- The McDonnell Academy Global Energy and Environment Partnership (a network of approximately 30 global research universities with a mission to "Collectively identify and collaboratively tackle important global energy and environmental challenges in an integrated and holistic manner.")
Does the institution actively participate in a regional, state/provincial, or local higher education sustainability network?:
The name of the regional, state/provincial or local sustainability network(s):
- Midwest Climate Collaborative
- St. Louis Higher Education Sustainability Consortium
- One STL regional sustainability collaborative, co-chair of the energy & emissions working group
- US Green Building Council - Missouri Gateway Chapter member
- Missouri Recycling Association
Has the institution presented at a higher education sustainability conference during the previous year?:
A list or brief description of the conference(s) and presentation(s):
Washington University staff members presented at the following conferences during the FY21:
-AASHE Fall 2020 -- "Building a Campus and Community Energy Workforce"
-AASHE Fall 2020 -- "Leverage Your Renewable Energy Impact Through Avoided Emissions Power Purchase Agreement Strategies"
-Drexel University Conference on University-City Collaborations on Climate Change
-Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Annual Energy Symposium
While the institution typically sends representatives to annual conferences regularly, the pressures of COVID impeded efforts to do so within the last year.
Has the institution submitted a case study during the previous year to an external higher education sustainability resource center or awards program?:
A list or brief description of the sustainability resource center or awards program and submission(s):
WashU was a featured case study in the National Wildlife Federation's "Stemming the Tide: Taking Action on Campus Against Plastic Pollution" publication (2020).
https://www.nwf.org/-/media/Documents/PDFs/NWF-Reports/2020/Stemming-the-Tide.ashx
WashU received an EPA Region 7 Pollution Prevention award (2020).
https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/washington-university-st-louis-receives-epa-region-7-pollution-prevention-award
Has the institution had employees or students serving on a board or committee of a sustainability network or conference during the previous three years?:
A list or brief description of the board or committee appointment(s):
-St. Louis Higher Education Sustainability Consortium, staff members on steering committee and assists with hosting workshops and programming.
- Numerous WashU staff and faculty lead the effort to host three Midwest Climate Summits (Fall 2020, July 2021 and January 2022)
- OneSTL Energy & Emissions Working Group, co-chaired by Washington University staff
- Building Energy Exchange St. Louis, member of the Advisory Board
Does the institution have an ongoing mentoring relationship with another institution through which it assists the institution with its sustainability reporting and/or the development of its sustainability program?:
A brief description of the mentoring relationship and activities:
Washington University is fortunate to be recognized as a sustainability leader in our region and beyond, and we make it a priority to share our experience to help others on their sustainability journey. Our office staff attends regular steering committee meetings and events as part of the St. Louis Higher Education Sustainability Consortium, provides leadership within the group, and exchanges ideas and best practices with members. Our team also regularly connects with businesses and institutions in the St. Louis region and throughout the US to share best-practices on a host of topics, including bottled water bans, sustainability planning, and carbon reduction strategies.
Has the institution had employees or students serving as peer reviewers of another institution’s sustainability data and/or STARS submission during the previous three years?:
A brief description of the peer review activities:
A full-time Washington University staff member supported the City of St. Louis Building Division in FY20 and FY21 cleaning and analyzing building energy benchmarking data for commercial buildings over 50,000 SF. The data was submitted to the City as part of the 2017 Building Energy Awareness Ordinance, and the City requested support with data analysis and visualization. The University staff member's work culminated in two way: 1) the publication of the City's 2018 annual benchmarking report and 2) with the City formally adopting Building Energy Performance Standard targets based on the analysis and recommendations.
A brief description of other inter-campus collaborative efforts around sustainability during the previous year :
Website URL where information about the institution’s inter-campus collaborations 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.