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Office of Sustainability
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Culture

Temple fosters community around climate action - bringing together students, staff, faculty, and neighbors to imagine and build a more sustainable campus and city.

A truly sustainable campus culture exists when the entire campus community is engaged in education, advocacy, and action aimed at fostering sustainable change.  Temple's Climate Action Plan culture goals attempt to strengthen strategic partnerships, provide leadership opportunities for students, and expand upon interdisciplinary collaborations.

Learn more about our goals and the progress we've made.

Culture Goals and Progress

Create a student educator program to build student awareness on campuses by 2020.

ACHIEVED: Temple University EcoReps program was launched in Fall 2020.  

Increase student sustainability engagement through the development of a student green fund by 2019.

ACHIEVED: The Green Grant was first awarded in 2019. To find out more about the Green Grant and to learn about past awardee's visit the Green Grant page on our website. 

Create sustainability certificate program through continuing education by 2023.

IN PROGRESS: The Office of Sustainability has begun to author a case study to summarize institutional best practices, and existing programs. This information will inform recommendations for the structure of a sustainability certificate offered through continuing education.

Conduct an assessment on sustainability culture by 2021.

ACHIEVED: The Transportation and Sustainability survey was issued to students, faculty, and staff in Spring 2022. The survey included questions relating to sustainability culture. 

Work with Residential Life to incorporate the responsibility of sustainability engagement with students in the residence halls into an existing staff member’s essential duties by 2020.

IN PROGRESS:  Residential Life has committed paid staff capacity to executing collaborative Sustainability programs such as Green Living and Give + Go Green.  UHRL Leadership has initiated a strategic plan to integrate sustainability curricula and sustainable operations campaigns into academic initiatives and student engagement activities led by both student and professional staff.

Establish a housing and dining services/academic working group to identify opportunities for collaboration and cooperative programs by 2020.

ACHIEVED: The Sustainable Food Services Committee was launched Spring 2022. Student, staff, and faculty representatives comprise the committee.

Begin to address food insecurity at Temple by 2019.

ON GOING: Since opening in 2018, Cherry Pantry has been committed to fighting food insecurity for Temple students. In 2022, they expanded their services to include regular fresh produce giveaways. Food donations from Give & Go Green moveout and monetary donations from Temple Thrift sales go directly to the Cherry Pantry.