Commitments

Lafayette is working towards commitments and goals to improve campus sustainability. As outlined in the Climate Action Plan, Lafayette is committed to:

• Carbon neutrality by 2035 – with a current reduction of 42% in Greenhouse Gas Emissions from 2007 baseline, including 100% of scope 2 emissions offset by Renewable Energy Credits
• 40% waste diversion from landfill by 2030, 60% by 2035 – with a current diversion rate of 20%

Standards

Lafayette has set several standards to ensure future improvements to campus are in line with sustainability goals. These include:

• 100% of new construction and large renovations to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver or higher
• 100% native species for new plantings, including 8,000 square feet of new native plantings in 2022-2023
• Facilities standards to ensure to energy conservation and waste minimization across campus

Recognition

Gold STARS Rating

Lafayette has earned a gold rating for its sustainability initiatives from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). AASHE’s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities across the world to measure their sustainability performance.  Lafayette previously held a silver rating. Since then, Lafayette has made significant advancements in several areas that led to its gold rating. Read the full report to learn more about Lafayette’s sustainability initiatives that led to this achievement.

Sustainability Achievement Award

The Association of the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) recognized Lafayette for participating in a power purchase agreement to buy renewable energy. The Campus Sustainability Achievement Award honors Lafayette’s partnership with Lehigh University, Muhlenberg College, and Dickinson College to purchase renewable energy as a collective. In February 2020, the schools announced that they signed a 15-year virtual power purchase agreement to buy renewable energy generated by a newly constructed 200-plus-acre solar farm in Texas.

PEER Silver Certification

In recognition of its efficient power systems, Lafayette was awarded PEER (performance excellence in electricity renewal) Silver Certification from Green Business Certification Inc. in 2021. This award, modeled after the council’s LEED (leadership in energy and environmental design) program, recognizes electric distribution, heating and generator systems.

The Princeton Review

In 2021, The Princeton Review included Lafayette on it’s “green college” list, which includes 416 environmentally responsible schools that share superb sustainability practices, a strong foundation in sustainability education, and a healthy quality of life for students on campus.

History

With support from passionate students, faculty and staff, Lafayette has been advancing sustainability initiatives for decades. Since signing the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment in 2008, the College has calculated its annual emissions of greenhouse gasses, completed a campus-wide energy audit, established an Office of Sustainability in 2016, and in 2019, developed the Climate Action Plan 2.0 for reaching carbon neutrality by 2035. Lafayette releases a Campus Sustainability Report yearly, which tracks progress towards our climate, waste, academic and programmatic goals detailed in the Climate Action Plan.