One year into Elon University’s Sustainability Master Plan 2025, faculty and staff across campus are turning Elon’s sustainability goals into action.
The Sustainability Master Plan 2025 provides a 10-year roadmap for advancing sustainability at Elon and supporting the university’s commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2037. Six implementation teams, made up of nearly 50 Elon staff and faculty members, are working across eight focus areas, including Academics, Dining, Engagement, Facilities, Technology, Transportation, Purchasing and Waste, to advance the plan’s goals. Their work is already producing measurable progress.
The Academics Implementation Team is focused on strategies to advance sustainability in the areas of curriculum, engaged & experiential learning, and research & creative inquiry. One specific project is developing a sustainability course designation. The team is also exploring additional ways to track sustainability research and creative inquiry. Based on current data, 66% of academic departments have at least one faculty member engaged in sustainability research.
The Facilities Implementation Team is working on a variety of reduction efforts focused on energy, water and waste across campus. Compared to the FY 2024 baseline, energy consumption per square foot decreased 3% in FY 2025, and the reduction target for 2035 is 20%. Water consumption per square foot decreased 5.5% in FY 2025, from the FY 2024 baseline, and the reduction target for 2035 is 15%. In FY 2026, Elon generated approximately 6.4% less waste per person than the 2024 baseline, and the target is to reduce waste per person by 25% by 2035. These efforts demonstrate continued progress toward sustainable campus operations.
The Engagement Implementation Team is advancing sustainability programming on campus and communications regarding sustainability initiatives. During the 2025-26 academic year, 22.2% of students and 8.2% of faculty and staff participated in sustainability activities, and the target is 40% of students and 15% of faculty and staff by 2035. Efforts include adding a “sustainability” tag in 25Live, so that any department or office planning an event related to sustainability can designate it as such.
These are just a few examples of the work underway across campus. Learn more about the Sustainability Master Plan 2025 Year 1 progress.