2022 USD Fact Book

SUSTAINABILITY At USD, student-led initiatives provide sustainable solutions to the issues that define our times Faculty members play an active role by incorporating sustainability in and out of the classroom There are nearly 350 courses containing sustainability concepts taught at the University of San Diego USD also houses the San Diego Regional Climate Collaborative, an organization working in the San Diego region to share expertise, leverage resources and advance comprehensive solutions to facilitate climate change planning Since 2010, the Office of Sustainability has led initiatives to reduce USD’s energy consumption by more than 35%, water consumption by nearly 18% and greenhouse gas emissions by more than 17% More than 5,000 photovoltaic panels generate 7% of the university’s peak electricity needs, making the system one of the largest on-site solar energy systems at a private college in the United States In 2020-21, USD developed an Energy Master Plan to achieve carbon neutrality in our energy systems over the next 14 years These initiatives have helped move the university toward achieving climate neutrality — net zero greenhouse gas emissions — by our target year of 2035 All new buildings at the University of San Diego will, at a minimum, meet the US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification standards for sustainable development The university’s fair-trade and bike-friendly campus designations also help to bolster its reputation as one of the most sustainable campuses in the nation, and our Sustainable Purchasing Guidelines and Supplier Diversity Initiative help drive sustainability into our supply chain In recognition of these efforts and more, USD earned a Gold rating via the AASHE STARS program, and was named one of the top 50 greenest schools by both the Sierra Club and The Princeton Review in 2019, 2020 and 2021 sandiego.edu/sustainability/initiatives/climate.php sandiego.edu/sustainability

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