Sustainability
at Stanford 2018–19 Year in Review

Stanford draws on a breadth and depth of expertise to advance visionary solutions to address climate change and cultivate a robust understanding of the natural world for a sustainable future. From engineering and business, to law, natural sciences, and the arts, leaders in their fields are collaborating to tackle climate impacts from a holistic perspective.

This interdisciplinary approach of the last two decades helps to generate flexible, scalable solutions for maximum impact in our region and world. Across disciplines, Stanford has expanded its support for community engaged teaching on sustainability, enhancing student learning while also directly adding value to regional sustainability programs. In 2018–19, more than 20 community-engaged learning courses connected Stanford students with local organizations to develop innovative solutions.

Stanford has an expansive history of efficient water management practices, stewarded by the Water Resources and Civil Infrastructure (WRCI) group, which also manages water systems infrastructure, roads, bridges, and dams on university land. The group proactively works to meet the needs of both the university community and the ecological systems it encompasses.

Managing the campus’ resources to encourage reuse, waste reduction, diversion, and environmentally conscious purchasing remain crucial to Stanford maintaining its role as a leader in sustainability. Stanford is actively progressing on its path toward zero waste to meet the 90% diversion or higher target established through the Long Range Planning process.

While future planning is wrapping up, current efforts to minimize campus waste have had substantial impact. Through expansive reuse, recycling, and composting programs, the university has significantly reduced the total amount of material Stanford sends to landfill: 8,509 tons in 2018, for a diversion rate of 64%, compared to a peak of 14,000 tons sent to landfill in 1998.

For the Zero Waste Plan and Feasibility Study, Stanford worked to identify source-reduction efforts and efficiency opportunities throughout its system. In developing the plan and feasibility study, the university has undertaken a comprehensive analysis of its waste composition today, and potentially viable solutions that focus on waste reduction and reuse, driving toward a closed-loop system. It highlights responsible purchasing, extensive reuse, easy recycling, expanded composting, and minimal landfill as critical components for increased diversion and efficiency at Stanford.

Sustainability is a thread that weaves through all aspects of life on campus, and the solutions implemented help Stanford to lead by example and highlight conservation tactics that advance progress. The Sustainability and SEM Business Services group (SSBS) serves as the central aggregator of campus sustainability programs for both infrastructure and behavior, which combine to reduce the university’s environmental footprint in a systematic way. From supporting student projects and a robust internship program, to stewarding Stanford’s role as a leader among peer institutions, SSBS provides comprehensive and dynamic program opportunities that nourish a culture of sustainability across campus. Founded in 2008, SSBS continually assesses opportunities for improvement. This year, office staff participated in the sustainability design team as a part of the committee working to shape the future of sustainability through the Long Range Planning process.

This focus on planning and governance allows for holistic analysis of campus performance and detailed planning for improvements. In 2018–19, the office undertook planning support for two key sustainability targets: becoming 80% carbon free by 2025 and zero waste (defined as 90% diversion or higher) by 2030. In addition to these campus-wide plans, SSBS also undertook strategic evaluation of its business systems group, which manages thousands of utility data points to monitor and analyze consumption and trends for maximum efficiency. The program offers unparalleled transparency into campus performance via 135 building dashboards and 25+ systems dashboards.

Residential & Dining Enterprises (R&DE) is home to 13,000 students, and serves 18,000 meals per day across its more than 300 facilities for dining, catering, hospitality, and residences. R&DE collaborates with faculty, students, and staff to foster behavior change, reduce energy and water consumption and waste production, educate students through teaching academic classes, and integrate long-term sustainable thinking into how it operates.

R&DE prioritizes local, organic, humanely raised, fairly-traded food, as well as food from family-owned farms and sustainable fisheries. R&DE’s efforts directly influence student learning and the overall campus culture, as well as the lives of Stanford’s students as they move into new communities after graduation. Across its eateries and cafes, R&DE dramatically expanded its food recovery and donation programs this year. Working with the Silicon Valley Food Rescue, the organization implemented an “A La Carte” food rescue program, which donates excess food from dining halls, cafes, and concessions to local organizations. Coupled with source reduction strategies that weigh excesses from meals to inform proper ordering, R&DE is finding new and innovative ways to reduce food waste.

The built environment at Stanford is critical in supporting the academic mission, providing collaborative spaces that enable cross-disciplinary collaboration to connect research, practice, and action around some of the world’s most pressing challenges. The Department of Project Management (DPM) oversees major construction on campus and continually works to elevate the application of sustainable practices in building and design. Its holistic method of benchmarking drives improvement so that each new building coming online performs better than the last.

One of the most expansive projects in the university’s history has been construction of a new satellite campus in Redwood City, which opened in March 2019. The 35-acre site includes four new buildings that house more than 2,500 staff, as well as a recreation center, café, parking garage, and childcare center. A “mini-Central Energy Facility” powers the facilities using heat recovery for heating and cooling purposes, and incorporates the latest in sustainable design. Low-flow fixtures, LED lights with sensor technology, automated mechanical shades to conserve energy, and recycled water for irrigation are just some of the components that contribute to this state-of-the-art campus.