Policy
 |
President Richard Brodhead |
Duke's Environmental Policy commits the university to leadership in three areas:
- environmental research and education
- environmentally responsible operations
- environmental stewardship in the community
The policy was signed on March 1st, 2005, by President Richard Brodhead, Chancellor for Health Affairs Victor Dzau, Executive Vice President Tallman Trask and Provost Peter Lange. It was reviewed by the University Priorities Committee, Academic Council and the Committee for Facilities and Environment.
An image of the signed policy can be viewed as a PDF.
The full text of the policy is below:
Duke Environmental Policy Statement
Duke University seeks to attain and maintain a place of leadership in all that we do. This includes leadership in environmental stewardship and sustainability on our campus, in our medical institutions, and in the larger community of which we are a part. We will bring vision, intellect, and high ethical standards to our pursuit of environmental leadership in research and teaching, institutional operations, and our relationship with the community.
Academics
Duke University will continue to be in the forefront of environmental research and education and will continue to use our institutional capability to constructively affect environmental policy throughout the world. We are committed to supporting interdisciplinary environmental scholarship and research, disseminating information about environmental research and policy, increasing faculty and student awareness of environmental issues, and enhancing environmental educational offerings.
Operations
Duke University will comply with all relevant environmental laws and regulations and go beyond compliance by integrating the values of sustainability, stewardship, and resource conservation into our activities and services. We will make decisions to improve the long-term quality and regenerative capacity of the environmental, social, and economic systems that support the University’s activities and needs. We will engage in pollution prevention activities and develop and promote practices that maximize beneficial effects and minimize harmful effects of operations, research, and activities on the surrounding environment. We are committed to assessment of the environmental impacts associated with our activities and services, and we will develop and track measures of our progress.
Community
Duke University is committed to playing a constructive and collaborative role as a responsible environmental citizen in the life of the surrounding community. We will maintain a positive and proactive role in communicating with the surrounding community, especially the Durham community, regarding our environmental activities and performance.
Richard H. Brodhead
President
Victor J. Dzau
Chancellor for Health Affairs
Tallman Trask III
Executive Vice President
Peter Lange
Provost
March 1st, 2005