Sustainability Commitments

In 2022, Wesleyan adopted a Sustainability Strategic Plan (SSP) to guide its actions in the areas of carbon, curriculum, and community going forward.  Through this plan, Wesleyan has committed to going carbon neutral by 2035, engaging 80% of students in sustainability & environmental justice by 2030, and expressing sustainability through University, individual, and collective actions.  Investigate the goals and objectives of the SSP. 

Wesleyan tracks its carbon pollution footprint annually and has developed a utilities carbon neutrality master plan to reduce campus energy use and power 100% of campus heating, cooling, and electricity needs through renewable energy sources.  Wesleyan has an air travel carbon offsets program to offset 100% of emissions from Wesleyan employee air travel and is investigating options for study abroad travel.  

Wesleyan evaluates its sustainability efforts through STARS (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System), a product of AASHE (Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education).  This evaluation informs planning decisions and commitments.  Wesleyan received a Gold rating in April 2023 and will submit next in late 2025.