"Sustainability is a team sport," said U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell at the Stanford Woods Institute Business of Sustainability Summit in May.
At Stanford, we agree. With a long history of leadership in environmental research, in recent years we have taken a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to sustainability. To create the solutions that will lead to a more resilient and sustainable future, we have involved faculty, students and staff throughout the university, as well as collaborators in industry, the nonprofit sector and the community.
Today, all seven of Stanford's schools are engaged in interdisciplinary research and teaching on environmental and sustainability issues, and about 500 undergraduate and graduate courses address issues of the environment and environmental sustainability.
Stanford is also working intensively to connect research to practice in areas such as food security, human health and sanitation. For example, accelerating the development of water-recovery technologies, a crucial topic for the western United States, will be the focus at the new William and Cloy Codiga Resource Recovery Center at Stanford.
Students are highly active and dedicated participants in these efforts. Students designed and built the Start.Home, placing fifth in the Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon, an international green building competition. Luminos, Stanford's student-built solar-powered car, was the first U.S. car to finish the World Solar Challenge. Fourth overall, it traversed 2,000 miles of Australian Outback in five days, using only sunshine as its fuel.
Reliance on fossil fuels harms human health and the climate, and our researchers are pioneering advances in renewable energy, such as the development of next-generation battery technologies; heat-resistant ceramics to improve solar cell efficiency; and new low-cost, lightweight photovoltaics.
Coal is one of the most carbon-intensive methods of energy generation, and in May, the Board of Trustees announced that Stanford will not directly invest in coal mining companies and will divest its current holdings. The university and trustee committees that examined the subject were convinced that less environmentally damaging substitutes for coal are available. Although divesting from coal companies will have little impact on endowment earnings, the trustees decided that it would be better not to be invested in a commodity that is such a significant contributor to carbon pollution.
The university believes that it has to "practice what it preaches." For example, design of the Jerry Yang and Akiko Yamazaki Environment and Energy Building (Y2E2) led to the development of "Guidelines for Sustainable Buildings," which have made both new and existing buildings more energy- and water-efficient. In 2012, the U.S. Green Building Council awarded the Knight Management Center its LEED Platinum rating for environmental sustainability, and last year, it awarded Y2E2 its highest certification for sustainable operations and maintenance in existing buildings.
In 2008, the university developed a new Energy and Climate Plan and began implementation of the Stanford Energy System Innovations program (SESI)—a far-reaching project that will make Stanford one of the most energy-efficient universities in the nation. By 2015, SESI is expected to cut our carbon emissions in half and further reduce water use by 15 percent. By 2050, SESI will result in our saving an estimated $300 million; if carbon restrictions or taxes are imposed, that amount will grow even larger.
At Stanford, we believe we have a responsibility to promote sustainability for our planet. Our goal is to lead the way—through research, educational programs and campus operations. The university's initiatives are important and will make a difference, but as Secretary Jewell noted, the efforts and actions of all of us are required if we are to address the environmental challenges facing humankind in this century.
John Hennessy was the president of Stanford University.
