The Ateneo Sustainability Guidelines provide basic directions towards implementing the University thrust for environment and development. These guidelines highlight the interconnectedness of initiatives, the need for systems thinking as well as personal commitment, and internalization of good citizenship.
Implementing sustainability begins with planning for systems that promote efficiency, i.e., the optimization of the use of resources and the management of waste in any event, process, or structure.
There is usually a premium to be paid in the implementation of sustainability initiatives; however, the decision of management will also be informed by the considerations on the Return on Investment and optimization of benefits over time.
Aside from managing university operations, implementing sustainability involves the use of suppliers, contractors, and service providers whose organizations follow sustainable development principles, e.g., conform to sound and ethical labor and environmental practice, and undertake initiatives to lower their carbon footprint and disaster risk.
The preparation of the University’s Sustainability Report will document the direction and effectiveness of various sustainable development efforts.
University efforts towards sustainability will also engage stakeholders by raising their awareness and by supporting programs that study clean, renewable, and/or resilient systems, bring about lifestyle change, and transfer technology to partner organizations and communities, among others.