The goal of the Villanova’s Commitment to Sustainability Initiative is to explore topics related to environmental, economic, and cultural sustainability in a variety of contexts:

''To refuse the challenge implied by the triple bottom line is to risk extinction'' 
 John Elkington

The learning and benefit to society of higher education forming partnerships with local and regional communities to help make them socially vibrant, economically secure, and environmentally sustainable will be a crucial part of successful higher education in view of our global community. Villanova University will leverage the academic expertise and energy of its faculty and leading researchers in the field to focus our efforts for a year of sustainability as part of the 80th Anniversary of the Mendel Medal Celebration honoring the legacy of Augustinian priest Gregor Mendel, an icon of interdisciplinary scientific investigation. Utilizing faculty and students to conduct research as an integral part of the learning experience will greatly enhance education and promote a strong sense of connection and caring for the local communities and to the ecosystems of which they are a part.

Villanova’s academic emphasis on sustainability is linked to the 80th Anniversary of the Mendel Medal Celebration and The Villanova University Campus Environmental Sustainability Policy. It will also take place in the context of a United Nations' initiative that began in January 2005 entitled: A Decade of Education for Sustainable Development.

The U.N.’s initiative is intended to spark action by:

Education and educational institutions at all levels are essential to the U.N.'s plan to change the behavior and attitudes of future generations to create and preserve a sustainable society.

“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children."  
Native American Proverb

As part of the Villanova University Commitment to Sustainability, the University will approach this important issue from four overarching vantage points: education, curriculum development, physical plant, and community education. Thus, there are four goals to this yearlong event:

  Education of Students, Faculty, and Staff
     Provide, through a series of cross-campus programs, a yearlong, focused educational
     experience, thus elevating our awareness of global environmental and sustainability issues.

  Academics
     Finding ways to infuse an emphasis on sustainability into the curriculum and thus provide
     students with a different prism through which to view how they fit into the global community.

  Physical Plant
     Demonstrating in tangible ways that the University is prepared to implement best practices to
     attain a sustainable campus status. This also provides the ancillary benefit of reducing costs
     throughout our organization by using sustainable approaches in campus systems.

  Community Education
     Informing constituents both on and off-campus of the importance of this issue for the world as a
     whole, as well as for the local community.

This initiative supports and advances environmental performance, economic prosperity and social equality through a variety of initiatives.

The faculty and staff facilitate the development and implementation of sustainable policies, practices, and curricula for the campus community by:

• Educating the campus community about sustainability and the environment
• Fostering collaboration between units of the University and external resources
• Consulting with campus departments (administrative and academic) to find ways of reducing environmental impacts