This Fall 2022 semester, students and faculty in SUST 350 Service & Sustainability will work with Roosevelt’s Environmental Sustainability Committee (ESC) and members of the university community to update and revise our Strategic Sustainability Plan, originally adopted in 2015. We need your help and hope that as many RU folks as possible will contribute their ideas, advice, and expertise to this endeavor!
Sustainability at Roosevelt University is a constantly evolving and dynamic process grounded in the “Three Es” of Environment, Economy, and Equity. Our first sustainability plan was written to be a “living document” that is updated periodically to reflect on our progress and articulate new goals and initiatives. The updated plan will be organized along the comprehensive and internationally-recognized STARS campus sustainability guidelines and incorporate the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030. By doing so, we will conceptually as well as concretely connect the local to the global.
RU’s sustainability efforts encompass the greening of buildings and campus operations; innovation and expansion of sustainability education and research opportunities for students, faculty, and staff; and most critically, the promotion of social and environmental justice within and beyond our campus. As noted by President Malekzadeh in his letter introducing Roosevelt’s first STARS sustainability assessment in December 2015, “The task of envisioning and creating a truly sustainable world is immense and complex. Colleges and universities are not only well suited to engage in this important work through innovation, education, and community engagement, they are obliged to do so” [emphasis added].
Our team of student researchers, in concert with the ESC, will engage in outreach efforts this fall to involve every segment of the RU community in this process, which is designed to be inclusive, participatory, and voluntary. We plan to host in-person and virtual workshops, info sessions, roundtable discussions, and other events to get ideas, feedback, and constructive criticism from students, faculty, staff, administration, alumni, and trustees about Roosevelt’s present challenges and its sustainable future. We hope you’ll join us in this endeavor!
The updated strategic plan will set out a new five-year timeline of goals, initiatives, and recommendations designed to reduce RU’s ecological footprint, fulfill our mission of promoting social and environmental justice, address the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, enhance our reputation as a sustainability innovator, and contribute to our long-term environmental and financial sustainability.
Stay tuned for upcoming announcements of planning info sessions, workshops, and other events! For questions or to make suggestions, please contact Dr. Mike Bryson (mbryson@roosevelt.edu), Professor & Director of Sustainability Studies, Chair of the Dept. of Sociology & Sustainability, College of Arts & Sciences.