Dear Members of the Washington University Community:

Assuring affordable energy and preserving the environment are among the great challenges of the 21st century.  Concerns about global climate change, increased emissions, and the depletion of natural resources have led to a growing awareness of how our energy needs are met and the potentially adverse consequences for the environment.  Washington University has the responsibility to be a leader in research and education related to these matters.  The University also has the responsibility to steward resources wisely and to minimize potentially adverse effects on the environment from its own operations.  If for no other reason than reducing cost, we have a compelling interest in improving the efficiency of our operations, thereby lowering the amount of energy consumed.

Washington University in St. Louis is a global leader in research on energy and sustainability.  In 2007, the University launched the International Center for Advanced Renewable Energy and Sustainability (I-CARES) to address issues of energy, environment, and sustainability through interdisciplinary, collaborative research, both on our campus and with regional, national, and international partners.  Through I-CARES, the McDonnell Academy Global Energy and Environmental Partnership, the Tyson Research Center, and other efforts, University students, faculty, and staff will generate new knowledge to enhance human life and improve our planet.  In addition, we have also launched educational efforts across campus to teach about critical environmental and sustainability issues.

Our institutional aspirations in administration and operations are intended to support and strengthen our critical research and educational mission.  Washington University is a very large operating entity, with over 10.6 million square feet of buildings, campuses of over 2,000 acres, and over 25,000 faculty, students and staff.  Our goal is to become a model of sustainable operations.  Achieving this goal will have a positive environmental impact and help us serve as a model for other large universities and institutions in the St. Louis region and across the country.

We have had great success in reducing our energy use per square foot on campus in the past 20 years.  However, during this same time period, our total energy use has grown as our effort to meet our missions of providing world-class teaching and research space has led to adding almost 5.5 million square feet of new laboratories, offices, and dormitories on our Danforth and Medical campuses.  Especially in this time of economic constraint, it is critical that the investments we make in improving sustainability also result in long-term operational savings to the University through reduced energy cost.

Achieving national leadership in operational sustainability will not be an easy task and will require effort from all of us.  This plan reflects hundreds of hours of work by University staff and students who analyzed operations, considered the actions of peer institutions, and tested new ideas. The plan will be formally revisited in 2013 and 2017.

Thank you for your consideration and involvement.

Read the Strategic Plan for Environmentally Sustainable Operations

If you have any further questions, comments or suggestions, please email sustainability@wustl.edu.

Mark S. Wrighton      
Chancellor                                                                        

Henry S. Webber
Executive Vice Chancellor for Administration