Sustainability Across Research & Learning
Since 2008, Western Michigan University has made major advances toward building a campus culture of sustainability. The figure below is intended to highlight the character and scale of WMU’s commitments and accomplishments. Our recent accomplishments in the realms of operations, administration, and outreach have exceeded our advances in the realms of research and teaching. This survey, which is drawn from an initial brainstorming of the President’s Universitywide Sustainability Committee (PUSC) in July 2011, has two purposes. First, it will help identify and prioritize potential tools, initiatives, and policy changes to help facilitate infusion and integration of sustainability into research and teaching at Western Michigan University. Second, it is intended to stimulate and support the creation of a cross-college learning community that will work to advance this effort.
To foster this effort, the Office for Sustainability, with support from the Provost, will sponsor a series of luncheons throughout the spring semester. The results of this survey will be used to guide the luncheon discussions, identify areas where further research is necessary, and, ultimately, create a report for the President and Provost that will outline recommendations for advancing the integration of sustainability into research and teaching.