Empowerment
A more open, connected, and innovative Yale
Yale welcomes all voices in fostering a diverse and inclusive sustainability movement.
Yale’s Efforts
- Yale alumni become champions for sustainability in all sectors. Yale Blue Green is a shared interest group for alumni who are engaged in sustainability issues and eager to connect with each other.
- Professional schools and departments across the University host Green Teams to pilot new initiatives and develop Sustainability Action Plans.
What You Can Do
- Join a Yale Affinity Group or Cultural Center and promote the connection between sustainability and social justice. Review the guide to learn more about these connections.
Our Objectives and Goals
Engage and Empower
Engage and empower members of the Yale community around themes of sustainability
The Yale Center for Environmental Justice hosted its fifth annual conference in the fall of 2023. Climate leaders, researchers, activists, and members of the community gathered to discuss approaches to climate action that highlighted the power of happiness. Centering on hope and belonging, the conference explored policy, economics, governance, evaluation, and geography, and focused on diverse approaches to environmental work grounded in real-world examples. Acknowledging that the realities of environmental advocacy can be difficult, presenters—who ranged from Yale School of the Environment faculty to Indigenous musicians—shared how attendees could harness joy to maintain energy for environmental work through community and connection.
Sustainability Action Plans
ACHIEVED
By 2020, create and implement sustainability action plans for key academic, cultural, and administrative Yale departments to support the ambitions of the Yale Sustainability Plan 2025.
This goal was achieved in 2020. To date, more than 30 action plans (including one for each of the 14 residential colleges) have been developed. This program has resulted in active engagement in the professional schools, Athletics, the Libraries, Yale’s cultural properties, Operations, Global Strategy, Development, and Alumni Affairs.
Sustainability Literacy
ACHIEVED
By 2020, develop and launch a sustainability literacy initiative for Yale students, faculty, and staff that assesses and improves sustainability awareness and empowers action.
This goal was achieved in 2020 with the development and launch of a universitywide sustainability survey and subsequent communication of survey outcomes. In 2025, the survey will be administered again to measure progress, and will evolve to incorporate questions to reflect broader institutional efforts.
Support Diversity and Inclusion
Support diversity and inclusion in local efforts through education and collaboration
Sustainability Inclusion and Justice Initiative
ACHIEVED
By 2018, launch an initiative to promote dialogue about sustainability, inclusion, and justice on campus and in New Haven.
This goal was achieved in 2020 when a subcommittee of Yale students and employees investigated tools to integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion into sustainability programming. Research centers, including the Yale Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Sustainability Initiative and the Yale Center for Environmental Justice, offer opportunities to advance connections between sustainability and climate justice at all levels.
Applying an Intersectional Lens to Sustainability Programming
ON TRACK
Since 2020, the Office completes an annual Co-benefit Assessment to track the impacts of our goals pertaining to community well-being and social, environmental, and economic resilience. The Office will report annually on the results of this assessment and progress made from year to year.
The 2024 co-benefit assessment can be found in the Sustainability Data Hub. Of our current active goals, two goals had at least one major co-benefit in 2024, 14 goals had at least one moderate co-benefit, and the remaining goals had neutral co-benefits. We continue to build intentionality about co-benefits into sustainability planning.