Mission, Vision, Values, and Strategy

The state of the human soul and the environment are interconnected. Each affects the other.

This beautiful earth and all things on it are the creations of God. As beneficiaries of this divine creation, we should care for the earth, be wise stewards over it, and preserve it for future generations. That means gratefully using what God has given, avoid wasting life and resources, using the bounty of the earth to care for the poor and the needy, and appreciating God's creations.

At BYU, our disciple-stewardship efforts are guided by the following mission, vision, values, and strategy:

Mission

To honor the Creator through care of His creations

Jesus Christ created the heavens and the earth under the direction of Heavenly Father. As we care for His creations, we exhibit love for God, love for others, and accountability for earthly blessings.

Vision

A campus, curriculum, and culture that cultivates earthly stewardship

A BYU education prepares students to improve the moral, social, and ecological environment in which they and their families live. When we understand who we are, the purpose of life, and the reason the earth was created, we may treat this earth, and all in it, in a higher, nobler way.

Values

Reverence

Devotion and daily thanksgiving help guide our efforts to manage resources with judgment, not to excess.

Reciprocity

We work diligently to grow, enhance, and improve upon these resources, not for our benefit only but to bless others.

Restoration

As participants in the work of creation, we glory in God’s promise that the earth will be renewed; joyfully, we follow prophetic counsel to preserve resources and protect the spiritual and temporal blessings of nature for future generations.​

“I see…your commitment to a more sustainable future for all of God’s children and creatures and the earth. Whether it is environmental, economic, or social, I would hope you will continue to find creative solutions to help protect the future for all of God’s children in our world. We should do whatever we can to protect and preserve the earth, to make life better for those who will live here. We have a divine stewardship, as noted in Doctrine and Covenants 59:16–20.” —Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in a BYU devotional on March 3, 2020

Strategy

At BYU, we aim to demonstrate earthly stewardship through our personal and collective conduct, and by championing sustainable practices and attitudes throughout our campus community.

Sustainable BYU Plan: 2025-2030

1. Institutional pursuit of sustainable operations

Natural resources: Conservation of energy, water, and land

• 1.A. BYU publishes a clean energy roadmap, with clean energy transformation goals. 
• 1.B. BYU continues to reduce energy demand through occupancy scheduling, retro-commissioning, lighting replacements, baseload shifting, and other efficiency projects; energy savings are captured and reported annually.    
• 1.C. BYU publishes a water conservation plan, with operational targets for all water consumption and sourcing.
• 1.D. BYU converts decorative, non-athletic, non-recreational turf to water-wise landscaping where appropriate; visible signage explains the benefits. 
• 1.E. BYU creates and conserves natural spaces, promoting biodiversity and healthy soils and waterways on campus; visible signage explains the benefits.

Materials: Responsible procurement and consumption

• 1.F. BYU publishes sustainable purchasing standards. 
• 1.G. BYU publishes an integrated waste management plan.
• 1.H. BYU adopts policies to minimize waste from conferences, athletic events, and other campus gatherings.
• 1.I. BYU eliminates food waste through education, recovery, and composting.
• 1.J. BYU adopts circular products and materials wherever possible.
• 1.K. BYU invests in recycling facilities that achieve greater capacity and lower contamination rates and provide on-site educational opportunities.
• 1.L. BYU ensures that contracted housing units offer on-site recycling and recycling education, with municipal or third-party recyclers if needed.
• 1.M. BYU diverts construction and demolition waste from landfills.

Mobility: Sustainable transportation and clean air initiatives

• 1.N. BYU publishes a sustainable transportation plan, with support for public transit, rideables, and multi-modal streets; BYU continues to invest in infrastructure improvements.
• 1.O. BYU adopts policies to discourage vehicle idling and encourage remote work for approved employees on days with poor air quality.
• 1.P. BYU adopts policies to reduce daily demand for parking.
• 1.Q. BYU electrifies landscaping tools, mowers, and motor vehicles where appropriate; non-electric fleets exceed local fuel efficiency standards.

Infrastructure: Efficient buildings, grounds, and systems

• 1.R. BYU publishes a sustainable campus facilities standard that guides the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of all campus spaces and infrastructure; all buildings are scored against the standard.
• 1.S. BYU uses visual reporting tools to monitor, assess, and improve progress.
• 1.T. BYU ensures that technology products and services deployed on campus are environmentally responsible.

2. Integration of earthly stewardship into the curriculum

• 2.A. BYU encourages and supports sustainability curriculum development across colleges and departments through annual workshops for faculty.
• 2.B. BYU develops one or more sustainability-focused learning outcomes for the entire student body via the General Education framework.
• 2.C. BYU lists sustainability-related courses in Major Academic Plans and curriculum and leverages service-learning certificates for sustainable impact.
• 2.D. BYU approves a stewardship statement for inclusion in syllabi.

3. Collaborative scholarship for solutions to socio-ecological challenges

• 3.A. BYU encourages and supports interdisciplinary research on environmental stewardship through university-sponsored conferences.
• 3.B. BYU encourages and supports interdisciplinary research on environmental stewardship through university-funded grants.
• 3.C. BYU encourages and supports interdisciplinary research through cross-campus connections facilitated by the BYU Stewardship Lab.

4. Learning and leading across the natural, built, social, and spiritual environments

• 4.A. BYU fully integrates sustainability into the student experience, with a portion of experiential learning funds earmarked for sustainability positions and projects.
• 4.B. BYU fully integrates sustainability into the employee experience, inviting and empowering staff to solve environmental challenges collaboratively
• 4.C. BYU designates one or more campus spaces for student-led sustainability projects.
• 4.D. BYU designates one or more indoor/outdoor teaching spaces.
• 4.E. BYU supports local conservation efforts.
• 4.F. BYU offers one or more sustainability courses through Continuing Education.

5. A personal and collective accountability for earthly stewardships and blessings

• 5.A. BYU articulates how gospel principles of earthly stewardship align with and support the university’s mission, aims, strategic objectives, and research priorities.
• 5.B. BYU offers sustainability training and resources to all students
• 5.C. BYU offers sustainability resources and incentives to all employees
• 5.D. BYU assesses all students, or a representative sample, for sustainability literacy; results are used to evaluate the success of BYU’s sustainability education.
• 5.E. BYU assesses all students and employees, or a representative sample, for sustainability culture; results are used to evaluate the success of BYU’s sustainability outreach and awareness efforts.

6. A foundational sense of place, rooted in wonder and reverence for God’s creations

• 6.A. Individually and institutionally, BYU cultivates disciple-stewardship through spiritual and secular explorations of the following intersectional themes:
  
  • Interconnectedness of the human soul and the environment;
  • The miracle of the human body and the resources that sustain us;
  • The human family, our debt to stewards of the past, and our responsibility to future generations.
• 6.B. BYU preserves and protects outdoor spaces that invite, uplift, and testify.
• 6.C. BYU inspires learning through outdoor experiences that instruct and edify.

7. Support for human flourishing, rooted in love and care for God’s children

• 7.A. Individually and institutionally, BYU cultivates disciple-stewardship through spiritual and secular explorations of the following themes:
  
  • Societal impacts of pollution, biodiversity loss, ocean acidification, and climate change
  • Sustainable societies
  • Reaching out to the one in need
• 7.B. BYU prioritizes belonging, wellness, self-reliance, service, affordability, and accessibility in its efforts to bless the campus community and lead students toward wholeness.
• 7.C. BYU demonstrates how gospel principles of earthly stewardship at BYU align with and contribute to the success of the worldwide humanitarian efforts of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

Actions and Key Performance Indicators

BYU Sustainability's mission, vision, values, and strategy were approved by President's Council in January 2022 and revised to align with Bishop Gérald Caussé's October 2022 general conference talk, Our Earthly Stewardship. Actions and key performance indicators will be announced soon.