Here are just a few of the steps we took last year to address indirect emissions: 

• Air travel is a large source of emissions, so a team of students from the Campus Climate Lab and Questrom School of Business developed recommendations for piloting a travel offset program.
• To reduce emissions associated with building construction, the concrete specifications and cure times for the Center for Computing & Data Sciences were adjusted and reduced embodied carbon by more than 12%. 

What else have we been up to?

Zero Waste Plan 

The Climate Action Plan recommends that the University establish a Zero Waste goal (90% or more of our waste, including construction refuse, would be diverted from landfills and incineration). In fall 2019, the University formed a Zero Waste Implementation Task Force, a 54-member task force of senior leadership and key stakeholders from eight operational departments, plus faculty and students. We engaged the campus community via online surveys and campus forums.  

In March 2021, the Zero Waste Plan gained leadership support and was introduced to the broader BU community. Stakeholders were called on to implement the initiatives they helped develop during the planning process. A communications campaign to spread awareness of the plan and get the community involved was launched in October and will continue throughout the academic year. The completion of a Resource Management contract and launch of our Sustainable Purchasing Program are a couple of our notable accomplishments to date. 

Sustainable Purchasing 

The Sustainable Purchasing Program, launched in November 2021, provides a guide for University faculty and staff when purchasing. It establishes minimum requirements and preferred standards regarding recycled content, sustainability ratings, etc., as well as industry-recognized certifications for products in specific categories. The University is also working with strategic suppliers to minimize waste and reuse products when possible. 

Food-Waste Diversion 

While food-waste diversion in the dining halls meets the Zero Waste diversion rate criteria, residential food-waste diversion, a Zero Waste Plan initiative, posed a significant challenge. All floors in Warren Towers, West Campus’ Claflin, Sleeper, and Rich Halls, and 1019 Commonwealth Avenue were recently outfitted with collection systems to separate trash, mixed recycling, and food waste. BU’s diverted food waste goes to a farm, which transforms it into compost. In the fall, due to exceeding the farm’s allowable level of contamination, it was necessary to handle the food waste as trash. Composting is a tangible way for students to contribute to the University’s climate action and Zero Waste goal. BU Sustainability, Residence Life, and Facilities Management & Operations convened in-person forums in November to solicit student input on proposed solutions, with the aim of restarting an improved program in the spring. 

Emissions from Waste 

BU Sustainability commissioned the analysis of our waste stream to understand the emissions associated with our waste. In FY2019, BU sent nearly 6,000 tons of waste to waste-to-energy combustion facilities, which resulted in the generation of approximately 3,000 metric tons of CO₂e, which represents 2–3% of BU’s annual greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). The study found that while plastics represent merely 18% of the disposal stream, they make up a disproportionate percentage of the stream’s GHG emissions through this combustion process—nearly 87%. The findings reveal the importance of reducing waste in the supply chain and maximizing the recycling of plastics.