Pitt’s sustainability journey is robust and comprehensive, driven by the 2018 Pitt Sustainability Plan and 2022 Pitt Climate Action Plan. In 2024, we expanded our sustainability and climate action efforts across the University, encompassing more offices, departments, divisions, and infrastructure, engaging a growing number of partners.
Below are just a few of the highlights from the University of Pittsburgh’s fiscal year 2024 sustainability accomplishments.
Accountability & Trust
Certifications & Rankings
- AASHE STARS Gold Renewal: Boosted our score by 8.9%, earning all available points in the Water section for the first time.
- THE Impact Ranking: Debuted in the 2024 Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, placing 24th out of 46 U.S. institutions.
- Re-Certifications: Maintained our Bee Campus USA and Tree Campus Higher Education certifications.
- Buildings: Achieved LEED Certified status for the UPJ Engineering & Science Building, bringing our total to 18 LEED certified spaces, which cover 1.39 million square feet.
Clutter for a Cause: Our zero waste move-out program collected a record 23,211 pounds of dorm furnishings, electronics, textiles, food, and school supplies, with most items to be resold by Thriftsburgh in the fall.
It’s Possible at Pitt
- Renewables: 28.3% of our total electricity in CY23 came from renewables, 36% of those renewables were from from Gaucho Solar.
- On-Site Solar: We also activated the first rooftop solar installation on the Pittsburgh campus in 12 years at Petersen Sports Complex.
- GHG Inventories: Published our first GHG inventories for Pitt-Bradford, showing a 6.7% decrease between FY19 and FY22.
- Tree Planting: Planted over 830 trees on campus, helping sequester carbon.
Mobility
- Bike Share: The Pitt community took 215,465 POGOH bike share rides, a threefold increase from FY23.
- Bike Parking: Celebrated reaching 312 campus bike racks that accommodate 1,476 bicycles, plus added new amenities around campus including fix-it stations.
- EV Charging: Activated 10 new EV plugs in Schenley Garage, bringing our total to 90 EV plugs across the University.
Food Systems
- Coolfood Pledge: Reduced GHG emissions from meals 37% per plate from 2017 to 2022 with more plant-based offerings.
- Food Security Lockers: Distributed 850 meals to students experiencing food insecurity using surplus campus food.
- Food Recovery: Recovered over 34,811 pounds of food, reaching over 200,000 pounds of food recovered by the Pitt community and 412 Food Rescue since 2015.
Welcoming and Engaged
- Events & Outreach: Reached over 8,757 attendees via 217 presentations, tours, and events for FY24, a 23% increase over CY23.
- Pitt Green Suite: Engaged over 1,000 community members through various programs, with significant participation in the Pitt Green Office, Green Lab, and Green Ambassador programs.
- Athletics & Health Sciences: Regular Pitt Green Games and newly launched sustainability efforts in Health Sciences.
- Media Coverage: Generated 284 campus and external media stories on Pitt Sustainability in FY24.
Scholarship, Creativity, and Innovation
Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation
- Has graduated 265 students with Undergraduate Sustainability Certificates since 2018, 17 with MS in Sustainable Engineering degrees since 2019, and 19 with Sustainability Transcript Distinctions since 2021.
- Faculty published 36 journal articles and delivered 16 keynotes or invited presentations.
- Mentored 27 summer undergraduate research students in 13 departments.
- Secured $5.43M in follow-on funding for 2024 MCSI Research Seed Grants.
Research & Operations Collaboration: Initiated power lunch meetings to foster research-operations partnerships.
Student Success
- First-Year Engagement: Reached 455 first-year students through sustainability presentations across eight departments.
- Micro-Credentials: Graduated the first 5 students with Sustainable Business micro-credentials.
- Survey Inclusion: Added sustainability questions to the annual Auxiliaries’ on-campus resident survey for the first time.