Marquette University is committed to promoting environmental and social responsibility. Our Jesuit mission compels us to care for others and the environment through sustainability. Even through our purchasing practices and supplier relationships, we hope to promote social, environmental and climate justice.
What is Sustainability?
Sustainability means meeting the social, environmental, and economic needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainability includes conserving energy, water and other resources; protecting and improving air, water and habitat quality; preventing waste and pollution; and doing these activities in a manner that promotes social justice, health, environmental welfare and economic security.
Why is sustainability important?
Sustainability goes beyond the right and green thing to do; it is also smart businesses for our institutional success.
- Sustainability education prepares students for career success and responsible citizenship.
- Sustainability improves organizational efficiency, decreases operational costs and reduces risk.
- Sustainability catalyzes increased giving and new sources of funding.
- Sustainability helps attract, retain and motivate elite students and employees.
- Sustainability strengthens community relations and facilitates new partnerships.
- Sustainability research and education demonstrates relevance in addressing today's grand challenges and helps unify the campus around a shared sense of purpose.
Guiding Principles
Four fundamental actions or principles inspire and guide sustainability at Marquette:
- Care. Social and environmental responsibility, including care for creation and climate justice.
- Enhance. Health and well-being of students, employees, communities and ecosystems.
- Protect. Environmental welfare and ecosystem resilience.
- Secure. Economic security and resource conservation.
Sustainability Goals
Marquette is striving to achieve the following campus sustainability goals by 2025:
- Emissions. Reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 25 percent below baseline level by reducing energy use and transitioning to cleaner and renewable energy sources.
- Energy. Maintain overall energy use at or below baseline level and improve building energy efficiency by 10 percent.
- Water. Reduce water use per person to 10 percent below baseline level.
- Waste. Reduce waste production per person to 10 percent below baseline level and divert at least 25 percent of waste away from the landfill by reducing, reusing, recycling, composting, etc.
Priorities
Marquette is focused on the following sustainability priorities in the near-term:
- Literacy and capacity. Develop institutional awareness and understanding about what sustainability is and why it is important. Cultivate attitudes, values and skills for sustainability that will inspire change and enable action.
- Funding. Find the necessary capital to invest in achieving our sustainability vision and goals and develop strategies for funding and incentivizing campus sustainability efforts of various types and scales.
- Sustainable development. Emphasize sustainability in our design, construction and renovation projects. Prioritize sustainability strategies related to energy and water.
- Campus and community engagement. Integrate sustainability into the campus culture and identity, setting a positive tone for the university and strengthening its community relations.
Sustainable Purchasing
Tell us about how your goods, services, and practices promote sustainability.
- How do they build healthy environments and communities along local and global supply chains?
- How do they demonstrate Care, Enhance, Protect, Secure?
- How can you help Marquette achieve our sustainability vision, goals, and priorities?
- How can you partner with us to engage students, faculty, staff, and our community in sustainability?
