Sustainability
Commitment to Care For Our Common Home
Sustainability is a way of life at University of San Diego (USD). Student-led initiatives provide sustainable solutions to current issues. Faculty incorporate sustainability in curriculum. Collaborative research projects and grants between faculty and students pay immediate dividends for the USD community and beyond, including a $5 million grant by the National Science Foundation to educate community leaders about the impacts of climate change.
In 2016, USD adopted a Climate Action Plan with aggressive targets aimed at reducing the university's environmental impact. USD has already reduced its energy consumption by more than 20% since 2010 and water consumption by 38% since 2006. Additionally, 5,000+ photovoltaic panels generate 7% of the university’s energy needs, making the system one of the largest solar energy producers among private colleges nationwide.
Begin quote The University of San Diego prepares students to be enlightened, engaged and ecological citizens.
The first of its kind on a college campus, the University of San Diego Electronics Recycling Center was a living example of USD’s commitment to social entrepreneurship. The Center diverted 4+ million pounds of electronic waste from landfills and served 25,000+ customers during its 7 year operation. The university's fair trade and bike-friendly designations also help to bolster its sustainable campus reputation.
From messaging on campus, to policies affecting how we do business, to facilitating engagement from our staff, students, faculty and administrators, to creating and supporting curricular efforts at all levels, we must take immediate action in concrete ways at all levels of the university to create a truly shared and lived vision of Care for Our Common Home.
Recent Spotlights
Sustainable Holiday Fair Success
December 12, 2019
Last week, more than 100 students and community members attended USD’s Sustainable Holiday Fair, where they could participate in a variety of ac…
In the News
An Inside Look at USD's First Carbon Neutral Class
// December 11, 2019
Sustainability champion and USD School of Business Clinical Professor of Management, Abby Berk, PhD, has created the first carbon neutral cl…
USD’s MBA Ranks Among the Top 10 Green MBAs in the Nation
// December 4, 2019
The University of San Diego School of Business ranked as the #10 Best Green MBA in the U.S. and #2 in California according to the Princeton …
What Do People Want This Holiday Season? Gifts, of Course, but No Wrapping Needed
// December 4, 2019
The start of October may signal autumn, but it’s also the time when predictions are made about consumers for the critical holiday seas…
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