Stanford is taking another step toward a more sustainable campus with the launch of a new sustainability-focused “Last Mile” program, a major update to how student packages are being processed and delivered. As announced earlier this year, starting this fall, all student packages will first arrive at a new off-campus warehouse for processing before being delivered to campus.
The hub of Stanford’s new delivery system is the Stanford Warehouse in Newark, California, which will receive daily deliveries from USPS, UPS, FedEx, Amazon, and other carriers. Instead of dozens of trucks entering campus daily, all student packages are now sent to this warehouse first. From there, the team will deliver packages directly to campus lockers and package centers.
Called “Last Mile,” the program name refers to the final leg of a package’s journey. By routing all deliveries through the warehouse, Stanford aims to streamline operations and achieve same-day delivery to students.
This approach gives the university’s Mail & Package Services (MPS) greater control and enables more streamlined and efficient operations. It also leverages advanced AI technology and a state-of-the-art conveyor belt system in the warehouse to process packages faster and more accurately.
Over the past few years, student package volume has grown exponentially. The campus can receive up to 10,000 student packages, delivered by as many as 50 trucks, per day. The off-campus warehouse solves a major logistical challenge by providing MPS the room needed to operate at scale. By eliminating hundreds of truck trips to campus per week and streamlining waste management, the Last Mile model also directly supports Stanford’s long-term climate and sustainability goals.
“We wanted to go beyond just rethinking delivery. We wanted to improve what happens after the package arrives,” said Erica Victorson, senior director for Mail and Package Services. “Sustainability isn’t just about reducing emissions. It’s also about managing waste in smarter ways.”
Distribution centers for major carriers, such as Amazon, FedEx, and UPS, are located within one mile of the Stanford Warehouse. To reduce delivery emissions and traffic on campus, MPS is working with these carriers to consolidate all deliveries into a single truck that will travel less than a mile from the distribution centers to the Stanford Warehouse.
The Last Mile program is one part of a broader push across Stanford to rethink how goods and materials move around the campus. It builds on other recent efforts, including electric campus shuttles, zero waste pilot programs, and smarter campus planning to reduce emissions in everyday operations, setting a new benchmark for how universities can modernize their logistics.
“Stanford has always been a place that looks forward,” said Jack Cleary, associate vice president for Land, Buildings, and Real Estate. “This is just one more way we’re showing that you don’t have to choose between convenience and sustainability.”
What’s next?
The full rollout starts this fall, and MPS is continuing to fine-tune the system based on student feedback. Students will receive updated instructions on addressing packages, pickup locations, locker access, and any other changes well ahead of the start of the quarter.
For more details, contact Land, Buildings, and Real Estate’s Mail and Package Services.
Writer
Sonia Singh
