Celebrating 50th Earth Day, AUC Releases First Sustainability Report

As part of celebrating the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, AUC’s Office of Sustainability released the University’s inaugural sustainability report today.  

This marks two historic moments: one for the world as we celebrate 50 years of Earth Day, and the other for AUC. This sustainability report highlights AUC’s commitment to implementing sustainable practices within the University and raises awareness of how the community can improve in helping the environment. The report will be released every other year, alternating with the Carbon Footprint Report. You can read the report here. You can view a brochure of the report here.

“By establishing this inaugural sustainability report, we hope AUC can serve as a model for similar institutions in the Middle East and North Africa,” said Yasmin Mansour, sustainability officer in the Office of Sustainability. 

The Office of Sustainability is also celebrating this year’s Earth Day digitally. For the past 50 years on this day, people have come together in the largest civic event in the world to celebrate the one thing we all share: the planet Earth. In an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19, this Earth Day has gone digital, taking celebrations and campaigns to online platforms. In alignment with this global transition, the Office of Sustainability has launched its own digital Earth Day campaign, using its Facebook and Instagram page to educate AUCians and encourage them to engage with the environmental movement.

A sustainability report provides information about the economic, environmental and social performance of an organization, company or institution. In 2017, the Office of Sustainability began an initiative to produce a holistic Sustainability Report, which includes not just carbon emissions, but other sustainability factors such as community health, workers’ rights, research and education. In 2019, the office began preparations, and after several months of collecting and compiling data from offices and departments across AUC, developed AUC’s Sustainability Report 2020. This report recognizes AUC’s commitment to sustainable practices and identifies areas in which the University can improve to become an international leader in sustainability. 

The Sustainability Report 2020 also highlights AUC’s engagement with the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. All the goals are linked to at least one of the chapters of the report to showcase AUC’s commitment to global sustainability efforts. This correspondence examines the critical role of higher education in achieving and implementing the SDGs. This report will be biennial, with publications alternating years with the University’s Carbon Footprint Report.

The Office of Sustainability is also announcing the publication of AUC’s Carbon Footprint 2020. While this is not a Carbon Footprint Report year, the Office of Sustainability has calculated AUC’s carbon emissions for the 2019 academic year. Read the Carbon Footprint 2020 brochure here. 

Both the sustainability report and Carbon Footprint Brochure demonstrate AUC’s commitment to sustainable development and reaffirm AUC’s role as a leader in the MENA region and beyond. 

On this momentous and historic day, it is important to reflect on the progress that we’ve made in terms of sustainability. The Office of Sustainability is proud to honor the 50th anniversary of Earth Day by celebrating the many sustainable achievements of AUC.