The World Symposium on Sustainable Development at Universities held September 14-16 at MIT will focus on designing tomorrow’s campus for resiliency, vulnerability, and adaptation. Ludmilla Pavlova-Gillham, Senior Campus Planner, and Dennis Swinford, Director of the Office of Campus Planning at MIT will be presenting a case study of 15 years of sustainability action at UMass Amherst and discussing how Campus Planning supports a framework to meet greenhouse gas emissions goals over the next 15 years. Below is a summary of their recommendations:
1. Process, Governance and Internal Leadership:
- provide comprehensive and integrated strategic, academic, financial & physical plans
- design an inclusive and transparent planning process
- integrate Sustainability Reporting systems into planning efforts
- ensure the continuity and consistency for SD decision
- develop incentive structures to support progress on sustainability goals
2. Research and Data:
- ensure cross-departmental engagement in capital project planning that identifies important sustainable development issues
- develop and apply a rigorous carbon budget for campus development
- leverage the academic curriculum for project-based learning, operations research and the campus as a living laboratory
3. Leadership for Society:
- advocate for full commitment to sustainable development and greenhouse gas reduction goals
- model governance/negotiation strategies to resolve conflicts and pursue smart growth
- place local/institutional decisions into a regional/ global framework of resiliency activity
- practice what is taught by leading the change effort to connect academic and physical planning toward meeting the triple bottom line.