Greetings!

The Hopkins Sustainability Webpage hopes to inform you of the many “green” initiatives here on the Hopkins Campus.

Even before the report of Cilla Kellert in the fall of 2008 of a “Hopkins Environmental Plan,” the school had made efforts towards campus sustainability. However, since the Plan’s publication, Hopkins has taken a more active focus towards this goal. The Head of School, Barbara Riley, appointed a Sustainability Committee in 2009 made up of faculty, staff and students. This committee oversees, coordinates and encourages most all green efforts on campus.

Mission Statement:

In keeping with Edward Hopkins’ original dedication of the School to the “breeding up of hopeful youths… for the public service of the country in future times,” the School recognizes that now, 350 years later, the future public service of our students will involve many issues of sustainability. These issues have become important concerns that affect us all on many levels: local, regional, national, and global. Therefore, the Sustainability Committee will strive to promote sustainable actions by students, faculty and the administration that reflect an awareness of the earth's ecosystems, natural resource consumption, social justice, and community health.

The concept of “sustainability” can be used in many ways, but the Sustainability Committee has adopted the following widely accepted definition: “Meeting the needs of the present generation, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

One of the main parts of the Hopkins School Mission is to “foster [in students] the courage to live and think as distinct individuals who embrace their responsibilities in the larger world.” To this end, one of the main goals of the Sustainability Committee is to assure that all Hopkins students – the educators, researchers, politicians, and professionals of the future – will graduate with the skills, knowledge, and motivation that they will need to become environmentally literate and responsible decision-makers in all walks of life.

To reach this goal, the Committee will:

• Promote minimizing institutional and personal waste by providing information and feedback to the Hopkins community about reducing, reusing, and recycling practices on campus.
• Foster the integration of sustainability into campus culture by providing the community with information and learning experiences to encourage behavioral changes that promote global, institutional, and personal sustainability.
• Encourage and provide sustainability-related learning experiences both inside and outside the formal curriculum to help students become the decision-makers who will lead society to a socially, environmentally, and economically balanced future.

We hope you will check out the various links above that will tell you more about the Sustainability Story at Hopkins!