University of California-Riverside Sustainability Policy Statement

Type: Policy

Status: In effect

Source File: http://sustainability.ucr.edu/documents/pdf/UCRSustainabilityPolicy.pdf

Text:

UCR’s Sustainability Policy commits the university to leadership in:

1. environmental research and education

2. environmentally responsible operations and infrastructure

3. environmental stewardship in the community

UCR Sustainability Policy Statement
The University of California, Riverside seeks to achieve and maintain a place of leadership in all that we do. This includes leadership in environmental stewardship and sustainability on our campus and in our community. We will bring vision, intellect, and high ethical standards to our pursuit of environmental leadership in research and teaching, institutional operations, campus infrastructure, and our relationship with the community.

Academics
UCR will continue as a leader in environmental research and education and will use our institutional ability to constructively affect environmental policy throughout the world. We are committed to supporting interdisciplinary environmental scholarship and research, distributing information about environmental research and policy, increasing faculty and student awareness of environmental issues, and enhancing environmental education.

Operations and Infrastructure
UCR will achieve and exceed compliance by integrating the values of sustainability, stewardship, and resource conservation into our activities and services. We will make decisions to improve the long-term quality and regenerative capacity of the environmental, social, and economic systems that support the University’s activities and needs. We will engage in pollution prevention activities and develop and promote practices that maximize beneficial effects and minimize harmful effects of operations, research, and activities on the surrounding environment. We are committed to ongoing assessment of the environmental impacts associated with our activities and services, will develop and track measures of our progress, and accomplish continuous improvement. We will accomplish LEED Silver certification of all new buildings and LEED EB certification for a majority of existing buildings. We will design, build, and maintain the infrastructure and grounds to reduce the environmental impact, to preserve native, sustainable vegetation, and to maximize efficiency in energy and water use.

Community
UCR is committed to playing a constructive and collaborative role as a responsible environmental citizen in the life of the surrounding community. We will maintain a positive and active role in communicating with the surrounding community, especially the Riverside community, regarding our environmental activities and performance.