Office of Sustainability

During hands-on audits, the Office of Sustainability's Zero Waste team inspects garbage to spot sorting mistakes and make campus systems more efficient.

The Electrical Reliability Improvements project, part of Stanford’s new Climate Action Plan, will increase the electrical reliability and capacity needed to reach the campus’s net-zero carbon reduction goal.

The Living Laboratory Partnership Summit convened students, faculty, and staff Tuesday to celebrate the great work and collaborations making Stanford more sustainable.

As part of improvements to its waste management infrastructure, Stanford is transitioning to shared waste, recycling, and composting stations. Half of the university has made the switch; the second half will make transition in the coming year.

More than 100 student residences and campus offices are using a system that turns tap water into an ozone-based disinfectant that cleans everything from laundry to bathroom surfaces.

Aurora Winslade, director of Stanford’s Office of Sustainability, discusses key takeaways from the event, how universities can partner with governments to meet sustainability goals, and how Stanford is becoming a greener campus.

Stanford University is now a two-time first-place winner in the National Wildlife Federation’s Campus Race to Zero Waste competition for per capita recycling in the large campus division. The award reflects many new and upcoming zero waste initiatives.

Achieving Stanford’s goal of reaching at least net-zero emissions from its operations will require developing new tools and strategies, which could also help businesses and governments reach their own emissions goals.

Stanford is celebrating Earth Day with a week of virtual events and is looking ahead to additional ways the campus can reach ambitious net-zero emissions goals, including tackling emissions from campus food, goods, travel and investments.

In an annual report, Stanford’s Office of Sustainability highlights the ways the university reduced its collective resource footprint and demonstrated sustainability in action in 2019-20, and discusses the key themes that will guide campus sustainability efforts this year.