ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½

September 9, 2019

Dear Members of the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Mellon Community,

I am pleased to announce the creation of a new campus-wide Sustainability Initiative. This initiative will be organized around objectives that strengthen our university’s commitment to sustainability; elevate ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Mellon’s engagement with the (SDGs), a shared blueprint for sustainability adopted by countries, cities and universities such as ours; and improve coordination of our sustainability education, research, and practices among ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ students, faculty, staff and local community members.

This initiative’s efforts will be led by a standing steering committee, reporting directly to me, comprised of co-chairs David Dzombak, Hamerschlag University Professor and Head of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; Steve Guenther, University Engineer and Assistant Vice President of Facilities Management and Campus Services; and Sarah Mendelson, Distinguished Service Professor of Public Policy and Head of Heinz College in Washington, D.C.

A newly-formed standing Sustainability Advisory Council, a group of ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ scholars, administrators, staff and students, will also provide counsel to the steering committee and me on opportunities that exist regarding ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Mellon’s goals for sustainability education, research and practice within the framework of the SDGs.

I would like to thank members of the Faculty Senate ad hoc Committee on Sustainability, ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½’s Green Practices Committee, and a number of student teams for recent feedback and recommendations on the future of sustainability at ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Mellon, which helped to inform the creation of this important initiative. I look forward to providing updates on the initiative’s progress, and on ways we as a community can become more engaged in this impactful work.

Regards,

James H. Garrett, Jr.
Provost
Thomas Lord Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering