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sustainNU

Reintroducing sustainNU

Northwestern’s sustainability program is undergoing a transformation in how we structure our efforts, and as part of that process, we’re adopting a new, old name. For some time, “sustainNU” referred to both Northwestern’s Office of Sustainability and broader sustainability efforts on campus. Starting this October, we decided to drop the Office of Sustainability title and identify our campus-wide sustainability program simply as sustainNU.

We are making this change because sustainNU is more than an office within a single department, and its scope goes beyond the work centralized in one office. It is a University-wide program aimed at engaging students, faculty, and staff from across departments and schools to reduce our environmental footprint and lead the way toward a greener, healthier, and more sustainable future for our community.

This fall, sustainNU is focusing its efforts on finalizing Northwestern’s Strategic Sustainability Plan and on convening Working Groups that will oversee the implementation of this plan. The working groups are made up of faculty and staff members, as well as students. These Working Groups are organized around the following five program areas:

  • The Built Environment: This group focuses on energy efficiency, greenhouse gas emissions reductions, and other topics related to the operations and maintenance of university-wide facilities.
  • Transportation: This group will address the reduction of environmental impacts of transporting students, faculty, and staff to and from campus, as well as within the campuses.
  • Resource Conservation: Areas of focus for this group include issues of waste, recycling, purchasing, and food on campus.
  • Curriculum and Research: This group works to ensure that Northwestern offers robust academic opportunities focused on sustainability, energy, and the environment, and provides experiential learning experiences.
  • Communication and Engagement: This group will raise the visibility of sustainability efforts on campus and engage the broader Northwestern community in these activities.

Each working group has two co-chairs who serve on the Sustainability Council. This Council is tasked with overseeing implementation of the Strategic Sustainability Plan. In addition to the Working Group co-chairs, the Council includes key decision makers and leaders from across departments and schools. Going forward, the Working Groups and the Sustainability Council will develop an Implementation Roadmap, outlining specific objectives and actions necessary to achieve the University’s sustainability goals.

All members of the Northwestern community are encouraged to get involved in helping us reach our goals. To join a Working Group, or to learn more, contact us at sustainability@northwestern.edu.