Q| How does a University build consensus for an ambitious (and first) sustainability plan?

PITT SUSTAINABILITY PLAN

STRATEGIC SUSTAINABILITY PLANNING

The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) has been actively involved in sustainability initiatives and practices on campus for many years and was earning a strong reputation nationally for its emerging culture of sustainability. A University Sustainability Committee was convened in the fall of 2016 to encourage sustainable practices and also to synchronize and align the efforts of the many sustainability groups and stakeholders across campus.

Through the Sustainability Plan, the committee developed strategies that helped to advance sustainable practices on campus. Chaired by the Facilities Management Division, the committee was composed of three subcommittees designed to directly relate to themes in the Plan’s vision: Stewardship, Community and Culture, and Exploration.

Respectively, the subcommittees are chaired by Facilities Management, the Division of Student Affairs, and the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation (MCSI). The Pitt Sustainability Plan was drafted to carefully connect to the University’s strategic plan while incorporating the thoughts and ambitions of a diverse cross section of Pitt’s student, faculty, and staff communities. The committee identified five in-depth impact areas for each of the plan’s three themes. After several working sessions, each subcommittee developed a set of aggressive, achievable, and measurable goals for each impact area to track progress. In 2018, the University established an Office of Sustainability to coordinate efforts, foster collaboration, and monitor progress toward the Plan’s goals and aspirations. - PittSustainabilityPlan

Steven led this plan while at BuroHappold.

BUSS is currently leading Pitt’s first Climate Action Plan.

Location: Pittsburgh, PA

Client: University of Pittsburgh Date: 2018

Over the past 5 years, Steven and I have worked across sectors, projects, committees, and approaches on a wide variety of visions, plans, implementations, policies, and physical developments Steven’s experience, technical approach, and thoughtfulness is both deep and broad. He works hard to achieve the inclusive collaboration required to create the truly sustainable places and communities we all crave and need to thrive. Steven’s astute observations, recommendations, and partnership has been imperative to help create, grow, and evolve the University of Pittsburgh’s sustainable future, while strengthening and contextualizing the Pittsburgh sustainability region’s goals and approaches.

- Aurora Sharrard, PhD, LEED AP BD+C, LFA, Director of Sustainability, University of Pittsburgh

A| Meet the University where they are and organize content in a clear framework.

Over various working sessions led by Steven and his team, the Sustainability Committee benchmarked sustainability efforts in campus operations, education, and outreach, and made recommendations to implement standards and best practices. The Pitt Sustainability Plan was created as a tool for collaborative integration of sustainability across every aspect of the University.

In addition to convening the committee, the team utilized a wide range of engagement tools, including a campus-wide survey, leadership interviews, intercept interviews, social media and various pop-up events to socialize the plan and gather feedback.

Key to the success was to understand the opportunities and challenges that the University had with respect to achieving sustainability aspirations. Strategic plans need to ensure that the structures and resources are in place to move strategies forward. Utilizing existing operational models such as the Student Office of Sustainability (SOoS) was fundamental to the success of the planning effort, as well as the operation of the sustainability plan moving forward.

The Pitt Sustainability Plan presents a unified framework for sustainable initiatives and practices across the University. This framework also advances the goals outlined in the Plan for Pitt by forming close connections to the six strategic goals (Ex. Embrace the world).

A key outcome of this plan was the hiring of Pitt’s first Director of Sustainability, Dr. Aurora Sharrard.