Last spring, I established the Sustainability Task Force to assess current programs and activities in sustainability, study best-practices in large, urban universities and recommend actions Temple University can take to create a sustainable campus environment. The committee concluded its initial study in the fall and developed an action plan for promoting environmental responsibility and pursuing sustainable practices.
I am pleased to announce that the report has been fully endorsed by members of the President’s Cabinet and that Temple is immediately moving forward with several of its key recommendations. First among them will be the establishment of an Office of Sustainability in the portfolio of Vice President for Operations William Bergman to assume leadership in the university’s sustainability efforts.
A new director of sustainability will be appointed to integrate sustainable principles into Temple’s operational, academic and service functions. The director will work with students, faculty and staff to develop sustainable programs and activities, and to implement a comprehensive sustainability strategy. A search for the director will begin immediately, with operations to be under way at the start of the fiscal year in July. We intend for the office to be self-sustaining within five years through revenue from grants and private fundraising, and offsets from energy savings.
Temple University is already beginning to consider the environmental, economic, social and communal aspects of our business decisions, and we are exploring new and more effective ways of collaborating with internal constituents, neighboring communities and regional partners. To learn more about Temple’s sustainability initiative and how you can help reduce Temple’s impact, I encourage you to visit the new sustainability web site at www.temple.edu/sustainability.
I would like to express my deep appreciation for the remarkable work of the Sustainability Task Force, chairs Bill Bergman and Lolly Tai, senior associate dean at Temple University Ambler, and the many others who assisted in developing the report. Members of the committee will continue to provide assistance and counsel as we proceed in launching this important initiative for Temple and the environment.
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