Sustainability Action Plan
Princeton published the University's Sustainability Action Plan in April 2019. That plan established target performance in key areas, including reaching Net Zero carbon emissions by 2046. The plan continues to guide our decisions, from how we build to where we focus to what we renovate.
See our latest Progress Report (coming soon)
Key Performance Areas
- Reduce Campus Greenhouse Gas Emissions to Net Zero
- Reduce Water Usage
- Increase Area Under Enhanced Stormwater Management
- Design and Develop Responsibly
- Cultivate Healthy and Resilient Habitats
- Increase Commuters Using Alternatives to Single-Occupancy Vehicles
- Reduce Waste and Expand Sustainable Purchasing
Vision
To cultivate, embody and celebrate an ethos of sustainability at Princeton University in service to humanity and the world.
Mission
Princeton University exemplifies repeatable best practices and innovation in sustainability to accelerate action at all scales, from personal to global.
Action Areas
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Greenhouse Gas Emissions
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Objective
Accounting for campus growth, achieve carbon neutrality by 2046 — Princeton’s 300th anniversary — through the use of repeatable, scalable and innovative solutions.
Short and Long Term Objectives
Princeton’s new target is to reach net-zero campus greenhouse gas emissions — reducing both direct emissions from on-site energy production and fleet fuel use, and indirect emissions from purchased electricity — by 2046 or sooner. As part of the broader need to influence indirect emissions sources, we are also initiating focused studies of construction materials procurement strategies.
Our pathway to carbon neutrality relies not only on infrastructure and other systemic changes, but also community and individual behaviors and habits. As such, initiatives are underway to engage campus community members who have influence in high energy-using environments, such as laboratories and large event spaces.
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Water Usage
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Objective
Reduce water consumption both campus-wide and per person.
Short and Long Term Objectives
Using 2008 as our baseline year, our objective is to reduce per-person and campus-wide consumption, irrespective of institutional growth. Our target is to reduce annual campus water usage by 26 percent by 2046. We will emphasize the conservation of potable water in energy systems and domestic usage, and use reclaimed and rain water in its place where appropriate.
We also aim to use the campus environment to build a sense of connection between our everyday choices and water, as well as other natural resources, so that we encourage mindful consumption as a lifelong habit.
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Stormwater Management
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Objective
Expand the area on campus that meets high standards for improved surface water quality and reduced runoff, and monitor outcomes so that best practices can be shared.
Short and Long Term Objectives
As we look ahead, our strategies expand the area under enhanced management as we address the quantity and quality of campus stormwater runoff to Lake Carnegie, the D&R Canal and other regional waterways. Our strategies also include an ongoing outflow monitoring program to track the impacts of campus management.
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Designing Campus
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Objective
Implement an integrative design process in new construction and renovations to meet University sustainability performance targets while making more efficient use of land and optimizing use of built space.
Short and Long Term Objectives
Princeton’s next generation of action is to practice integrative design when developing indoor and outdoor environments, toward achieving ambitious sustainability targets. Central to our design objectives is to visibly and experientially reinforce sustainable habits and choices.
In addition to approaches that improve operational sustainability, our design strategies now encourage the personal and institutional behaviors that will contribute to our broader sustainability and community-building objectives. Another priority is to build and use space more efficiently, requiring that we consider how effectively those spaces are utilized from an occupancy and scheduling perspective.
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Healthy and Resilient Habitats
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Objective
Apply a restorative ecosystem approach in landscape management to regenerate healthy habitats across campus and invite engagement with nature.
Short and Long Term Objectives
As the Princeton campus grows, we are deepening our focus on cultivating healthy habitats that are integrated into the experiential fabric of the campus and more resilient to climate change disruption. We will start with a focus on the connectivity and quality of forested habitats on campus in the context of state-wide connectivity efforts that promote the movement of wildlife across the landscape as they seek shelter, food, mates and other resources. We expect to develop this approach to include other habitat types over time.
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Commuting Alternatives
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Objective
Nearly double the percentage of alternative commuters by mid-century and expand the use of campus as an incubator for lifelong sustainable transportation habits.
Short and Long Term Objectives
Princeton’s strategies support commuters in transitioning toward more sustainable transportation modes through an expanded transportation demand management (TDM) program called Revise Your Ride. The University also is expanding access to on-campus and regional transportation services and supporting more widespread availability and use of electric vehicles.
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Reduce Waste
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Objective
Strive for zero waste through behavioral and operational strategies that include reduction, reuse and recycling criteria in purchasing decisions, and expand these criteria to encourage social and environmental benefits in the full life cycle of purchased goods and services.
Short and Long Term Objectives
Given the pressing need for a culture of responsible consumption, our objective is to set ambitious waste reduction and recycling targets, while linking what we purchase with what is reusable and/or recyclable.
Part of responsible consumption also includes ensuring diversity in the vendor pool and addressing social and environmental justice dimensions of products and services. Such concerns can encompass resource extraction, manufacturing, labor and/or disposal practices.
To advance planning, our strategies include a new baseline campus waste study to inform short- and long-term targets.
History
Building on the 2008 Sustainability Plan
The Sustainability Action Plan builds on the 2008 Sustainability Plan, Princeton’s first formal commitment to sustainability, engaging academics, operations and the campus community. The plan established 2020 operational improvement targets and annual performance reporting. It also included piloting our now well-established campus-as-living-lab approach, and cultivating campus engagement through outreach and communications initiatives.
A feature of that plan was target-setting beyond what we knew we could achieve at the time, creating “innovation gaps” that stimulated creative problem-solving. We applied this approach to our first greenhouse gas emissions reduction target of reaching 1990 CO2 levels by 2020 without the purchase of market offsets, and other performance areas.
During the implementation of the 2008 Sustainability Plan, we invited an external review by leaders in the field to conduct a mid-course evaluation.Outcomes from that review included the formation of governance committees to facilitate sustainability planning and decision-making.
Through those committees, institutional Sustainability Principles were adopted in 2014, and Decision-Making Criteria for Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction in 2015. Each informed major multi-year endeavors such as the 2026 Campus Plan, and this Sustainability Action Plan.
Released on Earth Day, 2019, Princeton University’s Sustainability Action Plan set ambitious objectives and targets intended to stretch beyond what we know we can accomplish at the time. Our strategies place a premium on accountability and collaboration across University departments. We will build evidence through academic and operational studies and demonstration projects that use our campus as a lab.
The students, staff and faculty who shape the academic, physical and social character of the campus are critical leaders and ambassadors for realizing the culture and sustainability outcomes we seek. As we move toward 2026 and beyond, there will be much that we test and learn and, as new opportunities arise, our strategies will evolve.
Why Is Every Individual Important?
We strive for an ethos of sustainability where individual members of Princeton’s campus community encounter and create powerful daily experiences that build the knowledge, skills and resolve to tackle the sustainability challenges facing humanity.
“Our global environment faces challenges of unprecedented scope and complexity. Princeton can play a leadership role not only by developing innovative solutions through teaching and research, but also by establishing best practices in our campus operations and community behaviors that serve as models for the world. This plan sets out ambitious but attainable goals that will guide us toward a more sustainable future.”
Princeton University President
Christopher L. Eisgruber
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