Office of Sustainability 2021 ACCOMPLISHMENTS Lehigh was awarded the Green Ribbon Schools Sustainability Award. The university was just one of five post-secondary institutions nationwide to receive the U.S. Department of Education award. Lehigh Achieved Gold Rating in the 2021 STARS Report. Awarded by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). The Sustainable and Healthful Food Purchasing Policy launched at Lehigh, a new policy (effective June 1, 2021) developed by the campus Food Systems Working Group. This policy will transform the traditional university food system into one that is more sustainable, climate-friendly, diverse, inclusive, and equitable. Lehigh’s Office of Sustainability announced the university’s ambitious 10-year plan to integrate financially prudent, socially just and ecologically sound sustainability practices into the university’s administrative, academic and operational processes. The Sustainability Strategic Plan 2030 focuses on 113 goals across six strategic areas. Lehigh Awarded 2020 Alternative Fuel Incentive Grant. In December 2020, Lehigh Sustainability in collaboration with LUPD and Transportation Services, applied for a grant through the Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant (AFIG) Program through the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. Lehigh University was named the 2021 Waste Minimization Case Study Winner in the nationwide Campus Race to Zero Waste competition. The case study focused on the expansion of the Eco Container Program, which now automatically enrolls students with meal plans to receive a reusable clamshell takeout container. By the end of the Spring 2021 semester there was a 72% reduction in the use of, and waste from, disposable clamshell take-out containers on campus.
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