ISF-LED INITIATIVE
Campus Sustainability Working Group
Purdue’s Campus Sustainability Working Group unites faculty, staff, and students to advance a more sustainable university — one that educates future leaders, drives innovation, and models responsible stewardship across research, operations, and campus life.
Building a More Sustainable Campus and Community
Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) can play a critical role in advancing sustainability and climate goals. In addition to fostering awareness and education, they also offer opportunities for campus and community engagement, undergraduate research, and training for a range of careers related to advancing sustainability. Universities also function as models for other institutions and communities and can also contribute to the creation of a more sustainable campus and local community. Universities promote economic growth, value creation, and innovate in critical areas to improve our lives. At the same time, they are large users of energy, water, and chemicals, which presents challenges and opportunities to implement sustainable practices to reduce their environmental impact and provide healthier living and learning environments for all.
Purdue is well positioned to educate future leaders, conduct innovative research, and collaborate with governments, industries, and social groups to advance campus sustainability. In summer 2024, Purdue, coordinated through Purdue’s Institute for a Sustainable Future (ISF) and supported by the Office of Research (OOR), along with Sustainability Operations, within Purdue’s Administrative Operations, initiated an effort to identify and analyze current campus sustainability activities, including academic, research, and engagement opportunities, across campus while undertaking activities and efforts to engage with faculty, staff and students to better understand their interests, knowledge and behaviors related to sustainability. The study also provided an opportunity for adding value not only through research, but also through creating documents, like the Campus Guide to Sustainable Living, and supporting activities and events such as Green Week.
Day-to-day work on the Self Study has been led by ISF research scientist Valentina Negri, who works closely with the Campus Sustainability Working Group (CSWG) and campus partners to collect and analyze data, prepare reports and tools, and support engagement activities. The project has been overseen by ISF’s Senior Managing Director, Lynne Dahmen.
Background
The Campus Sustainability Working Group (CSWG), initiated in summer 2024, includes representatives from staff, students and faculty who meet monthly to discuss current challenges and opportunities in campus sustainability while undertaking the Campus Sustainability Self-study (CASS), a multi-year project led out of ISF. The goal of this project, due to be completed in winter 2026, is to engage faculty, students, and staff to conduct research on current sustainability practices, support submission of information for external rankings concerning Purdue’s sustainability, improve sustainability initiatives on campus, and outline ways units on campus could pursue sustainability goals. Overall, the CASS has pursued these goals and aim to complete the CASS in winter 2026. Below we provide information on some of these efforts and accomplishments, link to reports and resources, and list the members of the CSWG during 2024-2025. While the CSWG will persist after the end of this project, some members will likely change.
Events and Activities
Explore recent and upcoming ISF events highlighting campus sustainability efforts.
Reports and resources
STARS Performance Analysis
This first-of-its-kind report provides an analysis of Purdue’s 2023 AASHE STARS report on campus sustainability performance and summarizes many of the recent accomplishments and sustainability resources as of the end of 2024.
Campus Guide to Sustainable Living
Developed with student input, this guide was released in Spring 2025 to introduce key aspects of campus sustainability, including recycling, energy conservation, campus life, and community resources.
Institute for a Sustainable Future (ISF)
- Valentina Negri, Research Scientist, ISF – vnegri@purdue.edu
- Lynne Dahmen, Senior Managing Director, ISF – ldahmen@purdue.edu
Administrative Operations (AO)
- Anthony Gillund, Director of Sustainability, AO
Faculty
- Michael Johnston, Professor, English
- Lindsey Payne, Asst. Professor of Practice, EEE
- Jonathon G. Day, Assoc. Professor, HTM
Additional Members, Researchers, and Students 2024-2025
- Emilie Maurais, Lead Data Analyst, External Data Analytics
- Kuang Xin, PhD candidate, Energy Development and Sustainability
- Amanda Taylor, Department of Statistics, Executive Assistant to the Head
- Marley White, undergraduate student
- Nicholas Neuman, undergraduate student
Last updated January 2026