Year of Publication
2022
College
Martin School of Public Policy and Administration
Date Available
6-17-2022
Degree Name
Master of Public Administration
Committee Chair
Ed Jennings
Executive Summary
Global climate change is impacting ecosystems, communities, and economies and will continue to do so into the future. To address these issues, sustainable practices and policies are needed on the local and global scale. At the University of Kentucky, sustainability implies that actions are ecologically sound, socially just, and economically viable. Harmonizing these three aspects is critical when developing and implementing sustainability goals on campus. The Office of Sustainability is responsible for coordinating and implementing sustainability policies, actions, and programs for the University of Kentucky. In 2017, they released the first Sustainability Strategic Plan that set goals through 2022. The current plan is expiring, therefore the Office of Sustainability must reset their goals through 2030 in their new Sustainability Strategic Plan. This case focuses on the development of the new sustainability strategic goals and performance measures. Based on focus group interviews with campus stakeholders, a strengths, weakness, opportunities, and threats analysis, and alignment with global climate science, five new goals were proposed for the Sustainability Strategic Plan: 1. Decarbonize campus operations 2. Become a zero waste campus 3. Adopt practices that minimize the University’s negative environmental impacts 4. Reinforce and model the University’s commitment to justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion 5. Make the pursuit of these goals an integral part of the UK student experience The goals were adopted by the University to lead their sustainability efforts through 2030. To measure success toward these goals, performance measures and reporting routines were developed. This will ensure greater transparency and accountability when striving to reach these goals.
Recommended Citation
Beavin, Sophie, "University of Kentucky Sustainability Strategic Plan" (2022). MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects. 345.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/mpampp_etds/345
