Campus Sustainability Task Force report

April 5, 2018
Martin A. Schmidt, Provost, 2014–2022 | Israel Ruiz, Executive Vice President and Treasurer, 2011–2020 |

To the members of the MIT community,

Last September we released the preliminary report of the Campus Sustainability Task Force, which was charged to shape a vision and plan of action for campus sustainability at MIT — today and into the future. The release of the report was followed by a comment period to gather input from faculty, students, and staff. MIT’s commitment and call to action is outlined in the final report shared today, “Pathway to Sustainability by MIT: Incubation, Transformation, and Mobilization.”

We invite each of you to further shape this commitment by attending a campus-wide implementation design forum on June 1 from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm in Wong Auditorium. At this forum we will leverage the collective intelligence of the MIT community to shape an implementation plan. Lunch and refreshments will be provided. Please RSVP no later than May 18 if you would like to attend.

We encourage you to read the report, which lays out the five key elements of the pathway to sustainability leadership and calls upon MIT to be:

  1. An exemplar that incorporates sustainability considerations into campus infrastructure, operations, student life, and daily decisions.
  2. A model of organizational transformation for sustainability leadership.
  3. A generator of meaningful new sustainability ideas and research, building on our history and current capacity for contributing solutions toward vital global needs and priorities.
  4. An innovator of deep educational experiences for the diverse communities on campus and beyond.
  5. A thoughtful partner to the local and global communities in which we operate, a clearinghouse of good ideas, and a mobilizer of actors who can implement sustainability solutions.

We and Task Force co-chairs Andrea Campbell and Julie Newman are eager for your guidance to ensure MIT’s success in designing a plan for implementation. We hope you will attend the open forum and help us take the crucial next steps toward a sustainable future for MIT.

Sincerely,

Martin A. Schmidt
Provost

Israel Ruiz
Executive Vice President and Treasure