Sustainability

At the University of San Diego, student-led initiatives provide sustainable solutions to the issues that define our times. There are nearly 350 courses containing sustainability concepts taught by faculty members who are also involved in sustainability initiatives outside of the classroom in the community. For example, USD houses the San Diego Regional Climate Collaborative, an organization working throughout the San Diego region to share expertise, leverage resources and advance comprehensive solutions to facilitate climate change planning. Since 2010, USD’s Office of Sustainability has led initiatives to reduce the university’s energy consumption by more than 35%, reduce water consumption by nearly 22%, and lower greenhouse gas emissions by more than 17%. More than 5,000 solar panels generate 7% of the university’s electricity needs, making the system one of the largest on-site solar energy systems at a private college in the U.S. USD debuted its Energy Master Plan in 202021, which provides a roadmap to further reduce the campus’ energy use and achieve the goal of being carbon neutral by 2035. In 2021, USD further demonstrated its commitment to ensure a healthy environment for future generations by formally amending its investment policy to be more sustainably focused. Since 2016, USD has reduced its exposure to fossil fuel investments by approximately 60%; by 2035, USD will seek alternatives to eliminate its exposure to fossil fuel companies. USD also offers Green Office and Eco-Resident Certification Programs to students and faculty members to help them become more sustainable. USD’s Sustainable Purchasing Guidelines and Supplier Diversity Initiative continue to integrate sustainability into its supply chain, which strengthens the university's reputation as one of the most sustainable campuses in the nation. In recognition of these efforts and more, USD has achieved a Gold rating from the AASHE STARS program and has been named one of the top 50 greenest schools by both the Sierra Club and The Princeton Review in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.

sandiego.edu/sustainability