ÎçÒ¹AV

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ÎçÒ¹AV's Commitments & Recognitions

Sustainable Progress

Sustainability isn't just something we teach. It's a living, dynamic, integral part of our Jesuit mission. And we're doing it pretty well, including . 

  • The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance. STARS is a program of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)  
  • Princeton Review's Green Colleges (since 2010) including
  • Climate Action Museum Climate Action Hero Award (2024)
  • U.S. Laudato si' Champion,  (2023)
  • Department of Education (2019)  
  • NACDA (2018-19)  
  • US Green Building Council and Second Nature (2017)  
  • Climate Leader, Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities and Solution Generation (2017)  
  • Sierra Club Green School (4th in 2014; 7th in 2016, 16th in 2017)  Note: Program ended in 2021
  • Arbor Day Foundation designation (2024)
  • Global Electronics Council  (2015-2024) 
  •  - Silver Certification (2024)
  • League of American Bicyclists  - Silver Certification (2022)

Metrics & Audits

  • Sustainability requires that we measure and monitor our performance to improve in each of the environmental focus areas. Many different metrics can be used to assess the University.  
  • Take a look at how ÎçÒ¹AV is doing in each of our environmental focus areas and any of the data linked below. For a full view of ÎçÒ¹AV’s sustainability data, visit our most recent (2023).  
  • Greenhouse Gas Inventories – Review  on the SIMAP platform, hosted by Second Nature and the UNH Sustainability Institute. Learn more about ÎçÒ¹AV’s commitment to carbon neutrality for Scope 1 & 2 by 2025 by reading our 2015 Climate Action Plan.
  • For those interested in how ÎçÒ¹AV’s sustainability efforts align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), please consider this  developed by the AASHE STARS staff.

Greenhouse Gas Inventories

ÎçÒ¹AV tracks our greenhouse gas emissions as a part of the , a program of Second Nature. In 2012, ÎçÒ¹AV completed baseline Greenhouse Gas Inventories for 2008 and 2011 (Fiscal Year), and has updated inventories each year since in alignment with the University's Climate Action Plan. A full history of ÎçÒ¹AV's emissions inventories can be found on , and a summary of the most recent, externally verified inventory can be found here: FY22 LUC Carbon Footprint

 

Transportation Metrics

The ÎçÒ¹AV Transportation Committee administers a Transportation Survey every three years to understand how students and employees are commuting to campus and identify barriers to sustainable transportation modes like public transportation, walking, and biking. 

The 2023 LUC Transportation Survey received responses from nearly 3,200 students, staff, and faculty from the Lake Shore, Water Tower, and Health Sciences Campuses. The pie charts below show the modes used by students and employees to commute to each campus in number of trips. 

For information and resources on sustainable transportation to ÎçÒ¹AV's campuses, please visit the Campus Transportation Alternative Transportation page or the BikeToÎçÒ¹AV website

Waste Diversion, Compost and Recycling

The following charts display the waste generation and diversion for the Lake Shore, Water Tower, and Health Sciences Campuses (top chart is all three campuses combined). These charts do not include reuse and donation programs, e-waste recycling and disposal, lab and medical waste disposal, an organic waste digester at HSC, or construction and demolition debris. For these three general streams (landfill, recycling, compost), ÎçÒ¹AV's overall diversion rate is between 40% and 50%.

Local and Sustainable Food Procurement

Aramark's ÎçÒ¹AV Dining, which provides residential, retail, and catering services at the Lake Shore and Water Tower Campuses has set ambitious goals for increasing sustainable food procurement in categories including local, third-party certified (e.g. Organic, Fair Trade, MSC or Monterey Bay seafood certifications, etc.), plant-based, and supplier diversity. See below for the baseline spend in these categories and goals through FY2026.

For the most recent data on sustainable spend, please visit the

For more information on sustainability in ÎçÒ¹AV Dining, visit  

Sustainability Commitments

Sustainability at ÎçÒ¹AV is driven by our Jesuit tradition of social justice, our service to humanity, and our role as an institution of higher education. It is embodied in an educational experience for our students and activities that seek to meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. We are committed to an inclusive process considering social, economic and environmental impacts, exemplified in a transformative education for our students. 

Climate Action Plan 2025

 At ÎçÒ¹AV, addressing climate change is driven by our Jesuit tradition of social justice. Please learn more about our plans to lessen our impact through raising awareness, education, thoughtful action, and reflection. We are committed to making ÎçÒ¹AV University carbon neutral for directly controlled emissions by 2025 through Second Nature’s .

Climate Action Plan

Climate Action at ÎçÒ¹AV

ÎçÒ¹AV's Strategic Plan: Care for Our World

One of the six Enduring Values in ÎçÒ¹AV's Strategic Plan is Care for our World. Learn more about the university's committment to addressing the interconnected issues of social, health, economic, and environmental justice. 

Laudato si’ 7 year challenge

The call to address climate change and sustainability is a moral imperative in the face of the environmental catastrophe that impacts everyone but also disproportionately affects the poorest inhabitants of the world. This imperative drives ÎçÒ¹AV’s strategic direction. Work has intensified in recent years in the era of ’, the 2015 encyclical letter from Pope Francis on the care of the earth, our common home. In November 2021, ÎçÒ¹AV signed a commitment to the Vatican’s Seven-Year Journey to Integral Ecology. The Journey is an exciting global collaboration that puts the principles of Laudato Si’ into action and calls us to answer the cry of the poor and the cry of the earth with bold, coordinated, and measurable action. Learn more about our and the .

Other University Commitments

ÎçÒ¹AV confirmed our commitment to a sustainable campus and student experience by signing the following widely-accepted sustainability "compacts." These agreements outline our pledge to expanding our sustainability program, engage the campus community, green our operations and monitor our performance. We affirmed our leadership at the international, national, state and faith-based fronts by signing all four commitments.

America Is All In

ÎçÒ¹AV joined  with hundreds of other businesses, communities, and institutions tackling climate change and encouraging our federal leaders to do the same. Learn more about ÎçÒ¹AV's participation by reading this . 

 

American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC)

American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) affirms that ÎçÒ¹AV is aware of its role regarding climate change and commits us to initiate a plan to:

  1. Create a sustainability structure, conduct an emissions inventory and develop a plan to become climate neutral,
  2. Establish policies that reduce our carbon footprint, and
  3. Make this information public through the ACUPCC Reporting System.

These are all actions that are in place or will be implemented as part of the sustainability planning process. Over 674 colleges and universities have signed on to this commitment to date. For more information, see .

City of Chicago Renewable Energy Challenge

ÎçÒ¹AV was a founding member of the , which seeks to accelerate installation of renewable energy in commercial and institutional properties. 

US EPA Better Buildings Challenge

Learn more about ÎçÒ¹AV's committment to improve the energy effieciency in our portfolio of buildings . 

The Catholic Coalition on Climate Change’s St. Francis Pledge (CCCC)

The Catholic Coalition on Climate Change’s St. Francis Pledge (CCCC) pledge affirms that ÎçÒ¹AV will:

  • PRAY and reflect on the duty to care for God’s Creation and protect the poor and vulnerable;
  • LEARN about and educate others on the causes and moral dimensions of climate change;
  • ASSESS how we, as an institution, contribute to climate change by our own energy use, consumption and waste;
  • ACT to change our choices and behaviors to reduce the ways we contribute to climate change; and
  • ADVOCATE for Catholic principles and priorities in climate change discussions, especially as they impact those who are poor and vulnerable.

The Talloires Declaration

affirms that ÎçÒ¹AV is committed to sustainability of our planet through global environmental literacy and sustainable development. This declaration has been signed by 437 universities from over 50 countries.

Sustainability Policies

Several policies guide ÎçÒ¹AV's institutional sustainability across departments and campuses. Below are a few examples of current policies in place:  

Land Acknowledgement

On the 150th anniversary of the University, ÎçÒ¹AV officially adopted a Land Acknowledgement Statement to “deepen awareness of our connection to history and our current understanding of our place, roles, and responsibilities given that history.

Investment Policy

ÎçÒ¹AV’s Sustainable Investment Policy was approved by the Board of Trustees and ÎçÒ¹AV senior leadership, furthering the University’s commitment to sustainability and addressing the ongoing global climate crisis. The strategy framework outlines plans to divest from companies that derive a majority of their revenue from fossil fuels and are not transitioning to clean energy sources. Additionally, the framework establishes a strategy of proactively seeking investments in companies working to reduce carbon emissions and address climate change and calls for integration of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) considerations into ÎçÒ¹AV’s investment mandates. 

Financial Services Policies

Travel & Business Expense Policy – All faculty and staff at ÎçÒ¹AV are highly encouraged to use  to book University travel due to the enhanced benefits, customer support, and overall travel assistance provided. LUC covers the cost of coach or economy class tickets for all domestic flights.  Unless it is impossible to do so, advanced-purchase-discount tickets should be purchased. In each case, every effort must be made to obtain the lowest economy fare possible.

The potential benefits of the trip justify its time and expense after considering more cost effective alternatives (such as teleconferencing).

LUC participates in a national car rental agreement through the Educational and Institutional Cooperative (E&I).  The providers participating in this agreement are Enterprise and National Car Rental. A single corporate code can be accessed with a valid ÎçÒ¹AV ID at the Purchasing Rental Cars page.

Additional details including sustainability resources on travel may be found here.

 

Purchasing Policy – ÎçÒ¹AV is committed and continually strengthens its sustainability efforts with our campus partners. Buyers and users should utilize suppliers and service providers that make use of, to practicable extent, materials and services that support the University’s sustainability mission. This should include efforts to conserve energy and water resources, support efficient delivery and supplier programs and reduce waste through reducing, reusing and recycling. The Purchasing Department leverages current supplier relationships to raise awareness of the need to reduce our environmental impact and maximize resource efficiency. Learn more about vendor sustainability programs here

There are also specific guidance around Small Business Utilization, Diverse and Minority Owned Businesses, and Restricted Items including Energy Drinks and Bottled Water. Please contact Department of Procurement for any specific requests.

Human Resources Policies

Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action & Non-Discrimination

Recruitment & Employment - "If the open position is identified, by the Campus Human Resource Office, as underutilized in the University's Affirmative Action Plan, additional recruitment efforts designed to attract qualified minorities may be employed. Search firms will be monitored by the campus Human Resource office and search committees will attempt to include a professional Human Resource representative as a member and/or resource to the committee."

Smoke and Tobacco-Free Campus Policy - ÎçÒ¹AV became a smoke-free, tobacco-free, and vape-free university August 1, 2021.

Campus Safety Policies

Campus Transportation Policies

Learn more about Campus Transportation policies here.

Information Technology Services (ITS) Policies

Purchasing Policy - Whenever possible, ÎçÒ¹AV purchases only certified equipment and makes every attempt to choose silver or gold-certified desktops, laptops, printers and monitors. ITS encourages all ÎçÒ¹AV students, staff and faculty to consider sustainable information technology equipment. See the ITS Departmental Technology Purchases page for more information.

Digital Media Services – As a critical connection for students with ITS, Digital Media Services has committed to a number of sustainability policies.

Facilities Policies

LEED Silver+ New Construction – All ÎçÒ¹AV buildings will meet USGBC Leed Silver certification or better PLUS a priority on all energy-related credits. For a full list of certified buildings.

Indoor Air Quality – ÎçÒ¹AV is committed to providing students, faculty, and staff, with a work environment free of recognized hazards. Reports of poor indoor air quality (IAQ) are investigated by Facilities Management on a case-by-case basis. Departments within Facilities Management work together to address indoor air quality concerns across the campus. The university's building automation system monitors buildings' HVAC systems to ensure general comfort levels as well as adequate fresh air exchanges per City of Chicago ventilation code requirements.

Clean Energy – ÎçÒ¹AV sources all electricity from non-fossil sources and retires Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) to meet the goals of the University’s Climate Action Plan.

Sustainable Progress

Sustainability isn't just something we teach. It's a living, dynamic, integral part of our Jesuit mission. And we're doing it pretty well, including . 

  • The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance. STARS is a program of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)  
  • Princeton Review's Green Colleges (since 2010) including
  • Climate Action Museum Climate Action Hero Award (2024)
  • U.S. Laudato si' Champion,  (2023)
  • Department of Education (2019)  
  • NACDA (2018-19)  
  • US Green Building Council and Second Nature (2017)  
  • Climate Leader, Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities and Solution Generation (2017)  
  • Sierra Club Green School (4th in 2014; 7th in 2016, 16th in 2017)  Note: Program ended in 2021
  • Arbor Day Foundation designation (2024)
  • Global Electronics Council  (2015-2024) 
  •  - Silver Certification (2024)
  • League of American Bicyclists  - Silver Certification (2022)

Metrics & Audits

  • Sustainability requires that we measure and monitor our performance to improve in each of the environmental focus areas. Many different metrics can be used to assess the University.  
  • Take a look at how ÎçÒ¹AV is doing in each of our environmental focus areas and any of the data linked below. For a full view of ÎçÒ¹AV’s sustainability data, visit our most recent (2023).  
  • Greenhouse Gas Inventories – Review  on the SIMAP platform, hosted by Second Nature and the UNH Sustainability Institute. Learn more about ÎçÒ¹AV’s commitment to carbon neutrality for Scope 1 & 2 by 2025 by reading our 2015 Climate Action Plan.
  • For those interested in how ÎçÒ¹AV’s sustainability efforts align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), please consider this  developed by the AASHE STARS staff.

Sustainability Commitments

Sustainability at ÎçÒ¹AV is driven by our Jesuit tradition of social justice, our service to humanity, and our role as an institution of higher education. It is embodied in an educational experience for our students and activities that seek to meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. We are committed to an inclusive process considering social, economic and environmental impacts, exemplified in a transformative education for our students. 

Sustainability Policies

Several policies guide ÎçÒ¹AV's institutional sustainability across departments and campuses. Below are a few examples of current policies in place: