A Leader in Sustainability

It’s no secret that Seattle University is a leader in sustainability practices and that reputation was further amplified recently when the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) recognized SU as a top performer in five areas in its 2024 Sustainable Campus Index (SCI):

• Air & Climate Impact
• Buildings Impact
• Purchasing Impact
• Well-being & Work Impact
• STARS (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System) of Data Accuracy

“This recognition is a testament to the vision, planning, commitments and intentional efforts of our leadership and countless colleagues and departments to take action on the university’s goals related to sustainability,” says Yolanda Cieters, director of SU’s Center for Environmental Justice and Sustainability. “This is the result of the work and accomplishments our campus community has made so far in its journey toward integral ecology.”

In 2021, Seattle University accepted Pope Francis’ invitation for higher education institutions to participate in the “Seven-Year Journey Towards Integral Ecology” and the Laudato Si Action Platform (LSAP). SU finalized its LSAP action plan in early 2023, which included four main priorities and 27 sustainability goals.

SCI, in 2024, rated Seattle University fourth in Purchasing and Well-being & Work, fifth in Air & Climate and tied for 10th in Buildings. SU was one of 11 institutions recognized as STARS of Data Accuracy for submitting reports with the fewest data accuracy issues. The ratings are based on STARS data shared by more than 1,000 higher ed institutions in the U.S.

Purchasing recognizes institutions with outstanding purchasing policies, including electronics, paper and cleaning products. Seattle University recently adopted its first policy on sustainable procurement to facilitate the purchasing of products and services that minimize the harmful effects on people and the planet from their production, transportation, consumption and disposal.

Well-being and Work rates are based on student and employee wellness programs along with compensation, satisfaction, health and safety.

Air and Climate covers greenhouse gas emissions assessment and mitigation and outdoor air quality. Since 2022 SU has been considered carbon neutral for its on-campus operations thanks to changes in improving operational practices with infrastructure and the purchase of offsets. Last year latter supported a forest conversation project in King County and a project in Indonesia that avoids planned deforestation in the Borneo Peatlands, one of the largest intact peat swamp forests in that country.

Buildings recognizes institutions at the top of maintenance and operations of existing buildings as well as new building design and construction. Seattle University’s Facilities department uses a Resource Management plan that covers sustainability best practices in HVAC, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, surplus, waste management and grounds maintenance. SU’s newest building, the Jim and Janet Sinegal Center for Science and Innovation, was the fifth campus facility to be certified LEED Gold for its excellence in design and operation.

“By being recognized as a top performer in five campus areas acknowledges the role SU is holding in leading the way for sustainability in higher education,” Cieters says. “It acknowledges the progress we have made in the past years toward the goals set by the university and how we are working together as a campus community to turn our commitments into real action and change.”