Elon University’s sustainability efforts are guided by a campus wide Sustainability Master Plan (SMP). The initial SMP was completed by the Environmental Advisory Council in 2007 at the request of then-President Lambert. It established the university’s goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2037. An updated SMP was completed in 2015 to build upon the successes of the initial plan and focus on the next 10 years. In 2025, Elon launched a new Sustainability Master Plan that builds on the institution’s long-standing commitment to sustainability, supports the Boldy Elon strategic plan and furthers Elon’s mission and commitment to prepare students to be global citizens and informed leaders motivated by concern for the common good.

Sustainability Master Plan 2025

The Boldly Elon strategic plan calls on Elon University to “Engage the campus in sustainable practices to become carbon neutral by 2037 – invest in renewable energy, reduce campus energy consumption 20 percent, purchase offsets to make the global study program carbon neutral and continue to build LEED certified buildings – and prepare students to lead lives that build a sustainable future.” The 10-year Sustainability Master Plan 2025 is a roadmap for that bold commitment.

GOALS OVERVIEW

Click on each goal to learn more details.

Words in orange that are italicized are defined on the Sustainability Master Plan 2025 definitions webpage.

Academics: Equip more students (undergraduate, graduate and professional) with knowledge and skills to address global sustainability challenges in collaboration with faculty.​

 

Dining: Integrate sustainability initiatives into Elon Dining operations to foster a campus culture that promotes behavior shift toward effective and measurable outcomes.  ​

 

Engagement: Increase awareness of and engagement in sustainability programming throughout the Elon University community and enhance external communications of sustainability initiatives.

 

Facilities: Continue to develop sustainable facilities and incorporate efficient operating practices into new and existing facilities to model an environmentally conscious campus.​

 

Purchasing: Strengthen sustainable procurement systems to support a sustainable economy, reduce emissions and reduce waste generation.​

 

Technology: Integrate technology-driven sustainability practices into university operations to drive cultural and behavioral changes and minimize environmental impact at Elon.​

 

Transportation: Advance the use of sustainable transportation systems and options to reduce the carbon impact of Elon students, faculty and staff.​

 

Waste: Advance and support sustainable materials management systems by promoting more conscious campus purchasing and increasing recovery operations to move toward a zero-waste campus.  ​

 

Read the full plan

IMPLEMENTATION TEAMS

To ensure successful implementation of this plan, teams have been formed and tasked with implementing specific strategies. Each implementation team will meet regularly and has an executive sponsor, team lead, members and facilitator. The executive sponsor provides high-level support and guidance for the work. The team lead has subject matter expertise and is responsible for implementing the team’s strategies. The members contribute to implementation efforts and progress reporting. The facilitator provides meeting facilitation and compiles an annual report, which will be shared with senior leadership. The implementation teams are responsible for prioritizing actions, finalizing costs, submitting budget requests and mapping out the phased approach for each strategy over the 10-year plan. Adjustments to the goals and strategies may be made based on new information.

Academics

Executive Sponsor: Jen Platania, Associate Provost for Academic Affairs and Associate Professor of Economics

Team Lead: Scott Morrison, Faculty Fellow for Sustainability and Associate Professor of Education

Facilitator: Elaine Durr, Senior Director of Sustainability

Members: 

Katy Bales, Physical Therapy Clinical Education Specialist (School of Health Sciences Representative)

Nic Bussberg, Assistant Professor of Statistics (Elon College, the College of Arts & Sciences Representative)

Caroleen Dineen, Associate Professor of Law and Director of Legal Method and Communication Program (School of Law Representative)

Eric Hall, Assistant Provost for Scholarship and Creative Activity, Director of Undergraduate Research and Professor of Exercise Science

Young Do Kim, Associate Professor of Sport Management (School of Communications Representative)

Smaraki Mohanty, Assistant Professor of Marketing (Martha & Spencer Love School of Business Representative)

Rod Parks, University Registrar and Assistant Vice President and Assistant Professor of Wellness

Paula Patch, Associate Director for First-Year Initiatives in the Elon Core Curriculum and Senior Lecturer in English

Carol Smith, Professor of Wellness (Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education Representative)

Dining

Executive Sponsor: Carrie Ryan, Assistant Vice President for Auxiliary Services

Team Lead: Ryan Moore, Resident District Manager

Facilitator: Kelly Harer, Associate Director of Sustainability for Education and Outreach

Members:

Leslie Bosse, Sustainability Coordinator for Elon Dining

Maddie Ring, Registered Dietician for Elon Dining

Brandon Rudisill, Director of Culinary for Elon Dining

Danny Sartyoungkul, Executive Chef for Elon Dining

Engagement

Executive Sponsor: Eric Townsend, Assistant Vice President for Strategic Communications and Media Relations

Team Lead: Kelly Harer, Associate Director of Sustainability for Education and Outreach

Facilitator: Elaine Durr, Senior Director of Sustainability

Members: 

Maor Greene, Associate Chaplain for Jewish Life

Sara Beth Hardy, Assistant Director of Community Partnerships in the Kernodle Center

Anu Räisänen, Director of HealthEU Initiatives and Assistant Professor

Alex Saunders, Director of Internal Communications

Mary Tendler, Associate Athletics Director/Special Assistant to the AD

Alison Van Norman, Outreach and Marketing Librarian and Assistant Librarian

Honglin Xiao, Associate Professor of Geography

Facilities

Executive Sponsor: Brad Moore, Associate Vice President for Facilities and Chief Facilities Officer

Team Leads: Raymond Fletcher, Senior Director for Facilities Management, and David Haught, Senior Director for Planning, Design and Construction Management, Facility Architect

Facilitator: Kelly Harer, Associate Director of Sustainability for Education and Outreach

Members:

Elaine Durr, Senior Director of Sustainability

Kendra Harrison, Waste Reduction and Recycling Manager

Hanna Smith, Botanical Garden Coordinator

Robert Stewart, Assistant Athletics Director for Events, Facilities and Capital Projects

Jason Tripp, Interim Assistant Director, Planning, Design and Construction Management

Purchasing & Technology

Executive Sponsors: Susan Kirkland, Associate Vice President for Finance and Administration, and Christopher Waters, Associate Vice President of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer

Team Leads: Pat Donohue, Deputy Chief Information Officer, and Patrick Schwartz, Assistant Director of Procure to Pay

Facilitator: Kelly Harer, Associate Director of Sustainability for Education and Outreach

Members: 

Rebecca Beck, Director of Campus Technology Support

Elaine Durr, Senior Director of Sustainability

Becky Kloepfer, Instructional Technologist

Dan Reis, Senior Instructional Technologist

Edith Sanchez Smith, Purchasing Agent

Scott Sawyer, High Performance Computing Engineer

Eryn Van Lear, Integration Project & Support Lead

Transportation

Executive Sponsor: Brad Moore, Associate Vice President for Facilities and Chief Facilities Officer

Team Leads: Elaine Durr, Senior Director of Sustainability, and Scott Stevens, Director of Landscaping and Transportation

Facilitator: Kelly Harer, Associate Director of Sustainability for Education and Outreach

Members:

Ginny Dudiak, Associate Dean of Admissions

Raj Ghoshal, Associate Professor of Sociology

Nick Gozik, Dean of Global Education and Assistant Professor

Betsy Swift, Automotive Service Manager

Blake Tillotson, Captain in Campus Safety and Police

PLAN DEVELOPMENT

Development of the plan was led by the Office of Sustainability and took place over 18 months. Stakeholder engagement was a critical part of the plan development. The planning process centered the collective knowledge of staff, faculty and students from across campus to develop goals and strategies. It included listening sessions open to the entire campus community as well as working groups and small groups focused on specific topics. The draft plan was shared with the campus community for review and feedback. Over 300 students, faculty and staff participated throughout the plan development process.

To learn more about the plan development process and individuals involved, please visit the SMP Plan Development webpage.