Special Report:
Environmental Stewardship
This special report is derived from a January 2008 presentation by the Environmental Stewardship Systems Team to the MSU Board of Trustees.
Michigan State University’s environmental stewardship initiative–Be Spartan Green–is focused on improving the sustainability of the MSU campus by reducing inputs, improving the efficiency of processes, and optimizing outputs as part of the university’s vision to become a world leader in the research and practice of environmental stewardship.
MSU is committed to making bold and systemic changes in the way the environmental stewardship is understood and addressed. To explore environmental challenges from technical, cost, and behavior perspectives, the initiative is using a unique campuswide systems approach that is based on:
- Institution-wide support
- Student, faculty, and staff collaboration
- A holistic, process-driven method based on inputs, flows, processes, and outputs
The first in a series of annual recommendations, 26 initiatives within six focus areas are being implemented to make MSU a greener place:
Systems Management
Enhance measurement and management systems to improve environmental performance. More
Energy Reduction Strategies
Reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions through efficient planning and new technologies. More
Materials Strategies
Reduce and reuse the materials that are used. More
Purchasing Recommendations
Track and purchase more environmentally friendly products for the MSU campus. More
Behavior and Culture Change
Make environmental stewardship part of university life at MSU. More
Communication
Provide information about changes, progress, and methods. More
