NC State’s Sustainability Strategic Plan is a five-year plan that builds upon the university’s goal of achieving a more sustainable campus through education and engagement. In doing this, NC State would be able to increase awareness of sustainable practices and ensure a more sustainable future for its community. The plan follows five basic goals, which intend to engage students in a more inclusive environment, create models through efficient, innovative facilities and propel awareness of sustainable practices.
The various moving parts of the plan are set to take place at some point over the next five years; however, specific dates for goal achievement and marks of progress have not been specified. The plan also does not specify exactly how the goals will be achieved or provide many quantitative measurements of success, making the plan seem directionless and leaving out very important aspects of sustainability.
The university’s previous sustainability plan focused mainly on the environment. The goals in the new plan have been outlined to create a more economically and socially oriented plan. However, the lack of specific timelines and direction will become a major roadblock in NC State’s path towards a more sustainable community.
According to an article in Psychology Today, setting goals that are measurable, have both short-term and long-term timelines and are difficult but realistic are more achievable. Goals should also identify specific achievement strategies and set up an evaluation system, according to the article.
In some ways, the Sustainability Strategic Plan does follow this set of rules. The goals do have general measurements to determine success, such as comparing numbers of participants before and after implementation of the plan as a measure for student engagement and leadership, or reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, total waste generated, and petroleum-based fuels.
For example, some of the goals based on operations aim to reduce greenhouse gases by 25 percent from the 2008 baseline or achieve a 70 percent landfill diversion rate from the 2006 baseline with an end-goal of zero waste. Other goals, such as those focused on student leadership and education, only aim to increase participation and incorporate sustainability into classroom learning. These goals are not so specific.
The plan also lacks short-term goals – only projecting long-term goals to be accomplished in the next five years – and does not identify achievement strategies for a vast majority of the goals. Objectives for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and an increased rate of landfill diversion do not include methods by which to reduce greenhouse gas emissions or have a greater rate of landfill diversion. If the university were to make these small changes to the Sustainability Strategic Plan, the current goals would be greatly enhanced and more easily attained.
Goals one, four and five focus on the need for diversity and inclusion in sustainability-based discussion. These three goals aim to create a stable foundation for the operational and design-focused goals outlined in goal three. Goal two calls for sustainability to be integrated into education and research.
By facilitating opportunities for students to become engaged in sustainability, and increasing our profile in sustainability-related research, NC State’s Sustainability Plan amplifies the success of the other four goals. Lastly, goal three, which sets goals to directly improve NC State’s quality of life through sustainable practices, not only models sustainable practices, but also applies the defined practices to the university’s operations and facilities.
Cooperation of the five goals shows great potential to engage the campus and community by creating a more sustainable future. Despite this potential, there are ways to make this plan more effective.
To better implement this plan, more detailed timelines and specific actions for implementation need to be defined. As it is now, the Sustainability Strategic Plan has potential, but it is vague and slightly directionless. This plan could be greatly improved by creating specific deadlines throughout the five-year period, detailing specific methods and adding more quantitative measurements of achievement. By giving the plan more direction and specificity, NC State could make their Sustainability Strategic Plan far more effective and attainable.
Many issues regarding sustainability and inclusivity are addressed by the Sustainability Strategic Plan, and the projected pathways to solving, or at least alleviating, the issues are laid out. Reductions in water consumption and greenhouse gases are set to occur, as well as increased awareness and engagement by the surrounding community.
However, the plan does miss one very important aspect of sustainability: Divestment from fossil fuels. Overlooking the importance of divestment as an approach to sustainability undermines the overall goal of a more holistic approach to sustainability. A stronger focus on divestment, in addition to providing more specific timelines and mechanisms for improvement, would give the Sustainability Strategic Plan a stronger footing on the pathway to becoming a more sustainable campus.
Evelyn Rowan is a first-year studying environmental science and a member of the Climate Reality Project at NC State.
