Our Pledge to Sustainability

Laudato Si’ Action Plan

Georgetown University is deeply committed to advancing sustainability in alignment with the seven pillars of Laudato Si’. In collaboration with key campus partners, the university is furthering its dedication to environmental stewardship. Guided by the values of Laudato Si’, Georgetown is taking meaningful steps to foster a more sustainable campus and community, ensuring that our efforts reflect a profound respect for the environment and a commitment to the common good.

New Georgetown Value of “Care for Our Common Home”

As a part of its existing Spirit of Georgetown set of values, the Office of Mission & Ministry has added “Care for Our Common Home,” a name inspired by Pope Francis’ encyclical letter Laudato Si’, which is subtitled “on care for our common home.”

Fossil Fuel Divestment

The university adopted a policy on fossil fuel and impact investments that is part of the university’s broad commitment to sustainability. Read more about divesting from fossil fuels.

Renewable Energy Investment

A 15-year agreement allowed Georgetown to annually buy 100,000 megawatt-hours of electricity from 11 existing solar plants, providing two-thirds of the university’s electricity needs. Read more about increasing renewable energy efforts.

Reducing Energy Consumption through our ENGIE Partnership

Georgetown’s partnership with ENGIE North America, a global leader in energy services and sustainability, will enable significant upgrades to the university’s major utility, distribution, monitoring and control systems across campus. Read more about managing utilities and reducing consumption.

Climate Pledge

Georgetown’s President, John J. DeGioia, pledged to reduce Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions at least 50% by the year 2020. By FY14, the University met this goal, achieving greenhouse gas reductions of over 71% from a 2006 baseline. We continue to actively explore and pursue opportunities to increase our leadership and impact in clean energy and emissions reductions. Read more about our GHG reduction efforts.

On November 19, 2015 in advance of the 21st Conference of Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (the COP21), Georgetown University joined over 200 colleges and universities in signing the White House American Campuses Act on Climate Pledge , to demonstrate support for strong global action on climate and to reaffirm our commitment to accelerating a transition to low-carbon energy and sustainability. Read the text of Georgetown’s #ActOnClimate Pledge.

In June 2017, President DeGioia joined with presidents of other leading U.S. research universities in the Ivy Plus consortium reaffirming our support for a broad-based global agreement on climate change. The statement reaffirms our commitment to accelerate the global transition to low-carbon energy and recognizes the critical role of universities in facilitating this transition. 

Local Sustainability Leadership

District of Columbia College and University Sustainability Pledge (CUSP)
Under the leadership of President DeGioia, Georgetown joined with eight other D.C.-based colleges and universities in January 2012 to sign the District of Columbia Mayor’s College and University Sustainability Pledge (CUSP), a commitment of the higher education sector to help advance the Mayor’s goal of making D.C. the “greenest college town” in the country. View the full CUSP pledge text.

Planning for Smart Growth and Sustainability
The university is planning for the long-term sustainability of our campus by integrating sustainability principles into ongoing Master Planning and developing a plan for sustainable campus operations. Read More about GU planning efforts.

Global Sustainability Leadership

Sustainable Campus Charter
At the 2010 World Economic Forum, Georgetown joined with 25 members of the Global University Leadership Forum (GULF) to sign the Sustainable Campus Charter, a partnership between GULF and the International Campus Sustainability Network. In so doing, the University committed to three campus-wide principles:

• Demonstrating respect for nature and society and agreeing that sustainability considerations should be an integral part of planning, construction, renovation and operation of buildings on campus.
• Ensuring long-term sustainable campus development, campus-wide master planning and target-setting should include environmental and social goals.
• Aligning the organization’s core mission with sustainable development, facilities, research, and education should be linked to create a “living laboratory” for sustainability. Read more about sustainability in teaching and research at Georgetown.

Sustainable Building Design

LEED Standard
As of 2009, all new construction and major renovations at Georgetown will be designed to meet the US Green Building Council’s LEED standards for environmental design, at the Silver level or higher. Learn more about the University’s LEED-certified buildings.