Facilities
Energy and Utilities
What does "sustainability" mean to you? It's defined as "meeting the needs of the current generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." Simply put, it means we have to think and act today to save our planet and its resources for our children and grandchildren. It's a huge responsibility, and requires that we change the ways we conduct business and our lives. Every little bit helps: recycling, turning down the heat, carpooling or walking to work. It may not seem like much, but it adds up. The adage is true: "Think globally, act locally!"
Salem State Sustainability Mission Statement
Salem State is committed to developing and maintaining a sustainable manner of institutional operation within the framework of its educational mission and the financial limitations placed upon it as a publicly funded entity. The university commitment extends beyond reducing its negative environmental impacts to enhancing its positive impact by instilling sustainable ideals in the students, staff, and faculty. The university is further committed position itself to act as an exemplar of sustainable development among state institutions of higher learning.
Massachusetts' Sustainability Program Goals
Executive Order 438 requires that state agencies, including institutions of higher learning, submit a sustainability plan that indicates how those agencies would modify their operations to achieve certain environmental goals.
The Greening of the University
Highlights of our Efforts to Lessen Energy Use and Improve the Environment
- Retrofitted over 4,000 light fixtures with high efficiency models
- Replaced 40 percent of old heating and cooling controls
- Paper recycling program is flourishing
- Central Campus tidal marsh channels cleared, boosting salinity and water flow
- Soft shell clam propagation and reseeding efforts at Cat Cove
