Page 550 - Sustainable Cities and Communities Design Handbook

Establishing an Enduring Campus Sustainability Initiative Chapter j 25 519

solutions. After years of critical analysis of successful campus sustainability
initiatives, Coalesce recognizes that consistent stakeholder engagement and
capacity building drives the adoption of sustainability commitments. Increasing
stakeholder participation broadens ownership, which propels visibility and
communication and empowers champions. See Sustainable Universities - a
study of critical success factors for participatory approaches research paper
here.

FOUR CORE COMPETENCIES TO CONSIDER FOR
ENSURING A SUCCESSFUL CAMPUS SUSTAINABILITY
INITIATIVE

l Assessment and Benchmarking
l Discover what has been accomplished, understand diverse stakeholder
perspectives, realize priorities and next steps, and compare your
campus’ practices to peer efforts.
l Governance and Leadership
l Integrate sustainability into decision-making structures as an economic
and strategic imperative to mitigate risks, seize opportunities, and
institutionalize commitments.
l Planning and Measurement
l Chart a course of action that articulates goals, strategies, and meaningful
metrics to meet commitments and measure progress over time.
l Capacity and Execution
l Identify the bandwidth and expertise needed to accomplish goals either
internally or through forming external partnerships.

The goal is to enhance your school’s capacity to model behavior, prepare
students, and align values with practices

Reasons Why It Is Important to Establish a Cohesive and Enduring Campus Sustainability
Initiative.
Sharpen Competitive Align Strategic Educate the
Edge Priorities Community
Foster innovation Steward the Engage stakeholders
environment across campus
Attract top talent Realize savings Equip members to
practice sustainability
Enhance reputation Improve infrastructure Increase employee
satisfaction
Build school brand Advance educational Retain talent
outcomes

Check out Coalesce’s website for additional resources on Campus Sus-
tainability: www.coalesce.earth