The University released its annual sustainability report and hosted its second monthly Sustainability Press Pool Monday to discuss the roadmap ahead for USC’s environmental future. 

April 1 marked the beginning of Earth Month, and over 30 schools and organizations are set to host at least 50 sustainability events across campus, according to Chief Sustainability Officer Mick Dalrymple. 

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Apart from upcoming activities to celebrate Earth Month, Dalrymple also addressed the publication of the 2023 sustainability report, which details the University’s achievements toward sustainability goals in the areas of education, research, equity and inclusion, operations and engagement. 

USC Sustainability’s “Assignment: Earth FY23 Annual Report,” which covers July 2022 through June 2023, also details the University’s future initiatives to reach its sustainability targets.

At the press pool, Dalrymple highlighted some of the University’s notable sustainability achievements covered in the report, including a 55% diversion of waste from landfills as well as significant reductions to potable water use. Dalrymple also pointed to the University offering 122 sustainability courses for undergraduates, and said the University is committed to “integrating sustainability across the curriculum,” as opposed to creating a specialized curriculum. 

According to the report, the University also aims to “increase its interdisciplinary research and research training for sustainability and climate change solutions,” with 580 USC scholars engaged in sustainability-focused research for 2022. 

The President’s Sustainability Initiative Award provided significant funding for research. Through the award, Dalrymple said the University invested $1.5 million into funding for a range of sustainability-related topics.

While the University has not surveyed non-USC affiliated community members to gauge their thoughts of the research and outreach programs, Dalrymple said the Presidential Working Group on Sustainability in Education, Research, and Operations’ engagement committee is currently collaborating with University Relations to develop a survey on sustainability for non-USC community members.  

“I think increasingly, we’ll probably work with neighborhood residents and community members on specific topics,” Dalrymple said. 

Surveying can be difficult and expensive, so the University wants to ensure surveys are conducted at the highest quality.

“We don’t want to hit up neighbors and community members too much for what might be considered extractive research, where we just basically go ask for them to just provide us a lot of input without having a specific topic to try to get them to provide us feedback,” Dalrymple said. 

The University aims to reach climate neutrality by 2025 and minimize the use of carbon offsets, according to the report. Carbon offsets are programs intended to compensate for carbon dioxide emissions by investing in projects or actions intended to fight climate change rather than directly lowering emissions. Dalrymple said carbon offsets are necessary to reach the 2025 goal, but the University ultimately seeks to reduce the use of offsets for several reasons. 

“Because these offsets cost money, we want to get off of offsets as fast as possible,” Dalrymple said. 

He added that this money could be put toward reducing the University’s carbon footprint through other initiatives.

“The more work we do internally, the less money goes out the door to these other projects,” Dalrymple said. 

Additionally, while many offset programs are reliable, data for offsets can be difficult to quantify due to miscalculations that contribute to credibility issues.

“We want to make sure that the carbon offsets that we purchase or invest in are maximizing the benefits and minimizing the risks,” Dalrymple said. 

The Task Force on Carbon Removal and Offsets released a report with guidelines for the University to reach climate neutrality goals, and Dalrymple said the University is currently in the process of distributing a request for proposal to work with a consultant that can vet projects and ensure investments are made toward the highest quality offsets. 

To reduce the University’s carbon footprint, apart from offset programs, several initiatives are underway including continued transitions to LED lights, retro-commissioning of buildings, which involves evaluating infrastructure to ensure optimal performance, and undertaking a decarbonization roadmap that seeks to transition away from gas for heating, according to Dalrymple. Currently, the University uses gas to generate steam and hot water, while electricity comes from the power grid and solar power. 

The sustainability report also detailed results for University culture around sustainability through a sustainability literacy survey as well as data on self-reported sustainable behaviors for students, faculty and staff. While sustainability literacy was reported to have a slight increase, sustainable behaviors, such as sorting waste and reducing energy use, showed a slight decrease between 2022 and 2023. 

While the decline could be attributed to variance due to self-reporting, Dalrymple said the University is making efforts to offer more sustainable resources, such as multi-waste sorting bins, and a new online sustainability training. Additionally, on April 8, the University will release a new employee sustainability training, according to Dalrymple. 

“It’s got to be a social movement and a change in norms,” Dalrymple said.