Task Force Membership

A Sustainability Task Force was charged to study the status of sustainability at USD, research best practices at other universities, and develop a strategic plan by March 2008. The task force met twice monthly to discuss possible short-term and long-term initiatives for a strategic plan. The result was their “Outline of Sustainability Initiatives,” which encompassed academics; outreach and community relations; auxiliaries; facilities operations; campus life; and executive decisions. The task force distilled this extensive outline into a proposed two-year action plan that highlighted the initiatives in each category that task force members considered to be most timely, important, or feasible. The task force specifically noted that implementing the action plan would require the guidance of a full-time director with sufficient authority and resources to take action. The university joined AASHE (Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education), participated in both Focus the Nation and Earth Week, launched a newsletter (electronic, of course!), and began audits of energy and water use.