Yale strives to be a leader in campus sustainability. University leaders, departments and individuals all play a role in harnessing our creativity, ingenuity and desire for excellence as we come together around these efforts.
Yale sustainability makes global and local impacts.
- Our teaching & research leads to innovative solutions, technologies, and best practices.
- Our alumni make significant impacts on the world, finding solutions to global challenges.
- Yale centers, programs, courses enhance sustainability in New Haven and our surrounding communities.
Sustainability creates a more open, connected and innovative Yale.
- Applied research promotes entrepreneurship and interdisciplinary problem solving.
- Cross-departmental efforts lead to operational excellence.
We adhere to the following principles to advance sustainability on campus and beyond:
Balance & Systems Thinking
Recognize the interdependent relationship between society, economy and the natural environment by using a systems-thinking approach, which acknowledges that decisions within one system may unintentionally impact another system.
Adaptation & Resiliency
Plan for and manage campus growth and development in a financially viable manner. Reduce negative impacts on ecosystem vitality and human health while developing the capacity to adapt and endure in the face of unanticipated changes over time.
Stewardship & Community
Respect and enrich the environmental integrity of Yale’s physical campus through conservation practices that enhance not only the quality of life of campus, but also link the university to the city and region beyond.
Inclusion & Accountability
Advance multi-stakeholder processes for collaborative planning and implementation that enable broad participation in and accountability for sustainability endeavors.
Capacity Building & Innovation
Foster a culture of sustainability that provides opportunities to continually challenge and expand thinking in order to better the university and the individuals working and studying at Yale.