Sustainability

Students holding equipment look on as a smiling professor points at a cloudy sample of lake water onsite at Action Lake
Students at the Institute for Food kneel or sit on the ground as they look over baskets of harvested vegetables
The sun backlights the scene as Institute for Food students build a solar array

Recommending a Path To Carbon Neutrality at Miami University

People carry solar panels at the solar array

In January 2019, Miami University President Greg Crawford charged the Miami University Sustainability Committee to prepare a new sustainability plan. One of the 10 objectives of the charge was to consider whether Miami should sign the Presidents' Climate Leadership Commitment (PCLC, formerly American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment).

With the input of internal and external stakeholders, the committee prepared a report, "A Commitment to Lead: A proposed, renewed vision to position Miami University as a sustainability leader among higher education institutions."

In that report the Sustainability Committee strongly recommended that due to the overwhelming evidence that the impact of climate change requires drastic action, and that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates catastrophic consequences if societies continue business as usual, the University should commit to carbon neutrality by one of two pathways:

1. Sign the Presidents' Climate Leadership Commitment (PCLC) which provides guidance and ensures transparency.

OR

2. Implement our own university-based plan that is transparent and rigorous.

President Crawford has asked the Sustainability Committee to provide additional details about these two pathways and to have their recommendations to him by early 2020.

♺ Recycling Tips

Miami's recycling and solid waste reduction efforts have come a long way since becoming part of campus operations in 1989. But what can be tossed into those blue recycle bins around campus?

Recyclable Items

Miami University is committed to sustainability in our academic programs, physical campus and operations, and university mission by promoting environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and economic viability for current and future generations. This commitment is a collaborative effort that involves students, faculty, staff and external partners.

Miami's various sustainability stakeholders include, but are not limited to, current and future students, parents, alumni, faculty, staff, suppliers, contractors, residents of the communities in which we operate, and those who live both within and beyond the boundaries of the state.

Contact us at Sustainability@MiamiOH.edu.

Battery Disposal

Battery collection bins are conveniently located in King Library, Shriver Center, and the Rec Center. To begin recycling batteries in your building, submit a service request to Physical Facilities.

Request Battery Disposal

Sustainability Partnerships

Colorful flowers and grasses surround the stormwater management pond on Western campus

MU-Lean

MU-Lean is a method of organizing human activities to deliver more benefits and value to customers while systematically eliminating waste within processes.

Lean at Miami

Physical Facilities (PFD)

Physical Facilities (PFD) creates a more sustainable and green campus through proper waste management, energy conservation, and responsible construction practices.

PFD Initiatives

Recognition and Honors

332 Green Colleges, The Princeton Review, 2014 Edition

Noted for a walkable campus, new bike paths, expanded transit, a major shift to geothermal heating and cooling, a comprehensive storm water master plan and a commitment to the purchase of local/organic food, Miami was included in the Princeton Review Guide to 399 Green Colleges for 2018.