Created with the intention of increasing sustainability data transparency and availability, the Sustainability Data Hub is a tool containing data visualizations with varying degrees of interactivity. These visualizations may evolve or change over time, and new data visualizations will be created and added to this page to reflect the most current data available. Please note that these data visualizations are only a small subset representing our sustainability progress, and that we report on all of our sustainability goals in our annual Sustainability Progress Report. Click on the upper righthand icon (“Focus mode”) of each visualization in order to interact with the data.
Fair Use
GHG emissions
Paper Purchasing
Zoom Meetings
This visualization shows the number of Zoom meetings and webinars held each month by Yale staff and faculty over the course of both fiscal years 2020 and 2021. The University had already seen a rise in Zoom meetings and webinars as many employees shifted to remote working at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in mid-March of 2020, yet the volume of teleconferencing calls increased significantly from the 2020 to the 2021 fiscal year.
2021 Sustainability Survey
The 2021 Yale Sustainability Survey Report, summarizes findings from our biennial assessment of sustainability knowledge, behaviors, and interests across the Yale community. Respondents requested more data transparency. In response, the following interactive visualizations are available to explore report highlights. The full library of data visualizations is also available.
Sustainability Knowledge
Survey results show high levels of sustainability knowledge across the Yale community. Purchasing and product consumption is an area we can improve in.
Explore the visualization below that shows responses to the survey’s six questions about sustainability knowledge. Compare the number of correct responses in 2018 and 2021.
Hover over each bar to read the questions and their correct answers.
Sustainable Behaviors
Respondents noted they would practice more sustainable behaviors if they had more time, more money, and/or a clearer way to measure and see the difference it made. View responses from staff and Yale College students below.
Hover over each bar to see the percentage of affirmative responses from each group.
Yale College students were asked questions about sustainable behaviors related to energy, materials management, and water conservation in both on-campus and off-campus settings. Their responses are reflected in the visual below. To interact with this data, right click on one of the behavior categories, click “Drill through” and then click “Behaviors” to see the percentages of on- and off-campus students that practice behaviors within that category. You may hover over each bar to see the exact percentage of affirmative responses from each group.
Comments on Sustainability Initiatives
What kind of sustainability initiatives would you like to see implemented at Yale?
The responses to this open-ended question by staff and students are organized into categories below. Interact with this data by right clicking on comment category, select “Drill through” and “Sub-categories” (if applicable). This will provide the percentage of comments in each category. Full responses are available in the 2021 Sustainability Survey Report.
Co-benefits
In 2020 we reviewed goals to assess their initial intention, establishing that as our baseline. Beginning in 2021, we will assess each goal on whether or not co-benefits resulted from that year’s work, and to what degree. Significantly, the impacts of the pandemic prevented our ability to make progress on some co-benefits in 2021.
At the time of the 2020 assessment, 31 active goals from the Yale Sustainability Plan were assessed. Similarly, the 2021 assessment only features active goals that have not yet been achieved.
This interactive tool shows whether the goal has a major, moderate, or neutral co-benefit impact. The first tab shows the actual co-benefits that each active goal has produced, and the second tab shows their intended co-benefits. Users may toggle between the two for comparison. Check the box next to different levels of impact within each co-benefit category to learn more.