Sustaining Life
Stanford has long-standing programs focused on sustainability research, education and interdisciplinary collaboration, both in our academic programs and how we run our campus. But as climate threats grow more urgent the university is realigning and expanding its programs for greater impact, forming a new school focused on climate and sustainability—Stanford’s first new school in more than 70 years.
The new school brings together expertise that exists across the university and creates a new mechanism to accelerate policy and technology solutions in the world. It provides new student programs and an academic neighborhood to ensure all students, regardless of their academic focus, leave Stanford with a critical understanding of linkages between the natural world and human societies. In addition, creating a new school provides opportunities to contribute to broader university efforts to hire a diverse faculty, create an inclusive student body and ensure that our research and education is carried out in an equitable way.
Our Vision also includes ambitious goals for reducing campus energy emissions, water use and waste, and amplifies the role of the campus as a living lab that provides a model for how other campuses, governments or businesses can lighten their footprint. Additional programs within a new Residential Education program embed sustainability in the life of students on campus.
Initiatives
Many vision initiatives support the university's goal of supporting life on Earth. In addition, the goals of IDEAL (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Access in a Learning Environment) are embedded across all aspects of the vision.
School focused on climate and sustainability
Stanford is creating its first new school in more than 70 years dedicated to creating a future where humans and nature thrive in concert and in perpetuity.
Campus sustainability goals
Stanford has set a goal of generating 100 percent of campus electricity needs from renewable sources and reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 80 percent below peak levels by 2025, along with ambitious goals for reducing water use and waste.
Selected News
Academic structure announced for new school focused on climate and sustainability
Reducing campus emissions focus of new Stanford program
Equity seed grant bolsters environmental justice efforts