Academics
Sustaining life on Earth is one of the key university values and all seven schools integrate this vision by providing a wide range of environmental and sustainability-related courses and research opportunities. Central to Stanford’s approach to sustainability research and curricula is the idea that solutions to the world’s environmental problems will require an interdisciplinary effort. Dozens of laboratories, research centers, and student organizations at Stanford are working to solve the most urgent challenges facing humanity—from food security to clean water and energy. Driven by an entrepreneurial spirit and historic dedication to public service, the university’s academic community is a leader in cutting-edge research and innovative teaching on the planet’s resources and stewardship.
"Stanford University fully engages in sustainability challenges through research programs, projects and partnerships; campus buildings and student residences; energy, water, dining and transportation operations; and many courses, academic programs and learning activities. The Stanford community aspires to the goal of human wellbeing across generations and around the world, and is committed to including social, ethical, economic, ecological, environmental and resource considerations in decision making. We hope every student at Stanford shares this goal and learns how to engage effectively in reaching it." -Former Provost John Etchemendy, January 2017
Sustainability Principles
Sustainability as a learning outcome for all students is one of the driving values at Stanford, as directed by former Stanford Provost John Etchemendy. To achieve, the university has the following core sustainability principles related to academia, planning, and operations.
Advance Sustainability Knowledge
- Ensure that all Stanford graduates, regardless of degree received, understand how the work they do can contribute to creating a sustainable world.
- Achieve excellence in research that can help solve the complex problems involved in creating a sustainable world.
Establish Sustainability as a Core Value
- Lead sustainability by example.
- Integrate environmental awareness into campus culture, and make sustainable practices a part of everyday life.
- Incorporate considerations of sustainability into all aspects of campus purchases of products, services and food.
Minimize Environmental Footprint and Preserve the Ecosystem
- Dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions from campus operations by reducing energy use in existing buildings, minimize energy use in new buildings, and greening our energy supply process and procurement.
- Use water resources efficiently, minimizing total water demand by continuing to implement water conservation measures and incorporating infrastructure for future water-saving measures into new facilities.
- Construct and renovate buildings to provide safe, productive indoor environments that use energy, water and other natural resources efficiently.
- Reduce the number of drive-alone commuters, and avoid increasing the total number of trips taken during peak commuting hours.
- Conserve resources through reuse, recycling, source reduction and composting – moving towards a zero waste campus.
- Preserve and manage environmental resources to allow the functioning of natural ecosystems and the long-term persistence of native species.
- Preserve and manage heritage resources to retain their historical and archaeological value and maximize their usefulness for producing knowledge.
Course Collaborations
Academic course collaborations bring together students, faculty, staff, and real-world sustainability challenges in an impactful and unique way that transform theoretical knowledge into tangible solutions, enabling students and faculty to engage directly with operational sustainability efforts.
A Living Lab for Sustainability
At Stanford, the campus itself serves as a dynamic testing ground, or “living laboratory,” for innovative ideas to solve operational challenges, drive sustainability innovation at the university and beyond, as well as develop the next generation of leaders to impact systems change - locally and globally.