In July 2018, Pitt gave campus-wide sustainability activities, strategies, and partnerships a centralized home by establishing the Office of Sustainability. Led by Director of Sustainability, Dr. Aurora Sharrard, the Office of Sustainability leads University-wide sustainability strategy, activities, policies, collaborations, & partnerships to advance the Pitt Sustainability Plan, which includes 61 measurable goals across stewardship, exploration, community, and culture.
The University’s commitment to sustainable action is clear, with over 75 supporting staff members leading the charge across the campus and community. The Office of Sustainability ensures milestone progress and accomplishments are shared across the Pitt community through two principal staff members, along with sustainability unit leads, staff, and collaborators embedded in Business and Auxiliaries, Dining, Facilities Management, Purchasing, Student Affairs, the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation, and Center for Sustainable Business. Along with contributing staff, students, and partners across the University, sustainability-affiliated faculty members collaborate through the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation.
The Office of Sustainability’s campus-wide efforts are also supported by over 20 paid student sustainability interns hosted in a wide variety of departments and business units; summer sustainability undergraduate research projects; and the 28+ student groups affiliated with the Student Office of Sustainability, who help infuse sustainability into the Pitt’s culture, values, and decision-making.
Pitt’s multilevel, interdisciplinary sustainability efforts on and off campus include the University Sustainability Committee (USC), which currently has 2 subcommittees: Campus Tree Advisory Committee and the Pollinator Habitat Advisory Committee. Other contributing committees from across the University include:
Pitt is working to be a leader and innovator in sustainability, with a dedicated team in place to champion equitable, environmental, and economically balanced change, benefiting both people and the planet.
Have a question or want to learn more about the Office of Sustainability? Read more here or just contact us at sustainability@pitt.edu.
