UK Sustainability Needs Your Input on UK’s Sustainability Strategic Plan
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 24, 2022) — The University of Kentucky Office of Sustainability wants your feedback as they update their new sustainability goals. In January, the President’s Sustainability Advisory Committee kicked off efforts to update UK’s Sustainability Strategic Plan with a focus on what the university can achieve by 2030.
The update will build on the progress made toward the goals established in UK’s first Sustainability Strategic Plan (2018-2022). Milestones and accomplishments from the 2018-2022 Sustainability Strategic Plan include:
- The launch of a large-scale food waste composting program.
- UK Transportation Services spearheaded programming to improve bicycling programs and infrastructure, earning Gold Level status as a Bicycle Friendly University from the League of American Bicyclists.
- More than 40% of the waste generated by the main campus was recycled, reused or composted in 2020.
- 25 new buildings have earned LEED certification from the US Green Building Council.
- UK was recognized by the Arbor Day Foundation as a Tree Campus USA for 10 years in a row.
- Local food procurement reached new records with more than $2 million a year spent on local food and Kentucky-based food businesses.
- UK is on track to meet or exceed our commitment to reduce campus greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2025.
- And late last year, the announcement of an agreement with Kentucky Utilities to purchase approximately one third of our power from a new solar development planned for construction in Western Kentucky by 2025.
The sustainability target updates will be aligned to support the university’s newly adopted Strategic Plan and its five core principles.
The form to submit input about UK’s new Sustainability Strategic Plan can be found here.
For more information about UK Sustainability visit https://www.uky.edu/sustainability/.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.
In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.