Sustainability is the act of building—through our daily practices and educational programming—a thriving, resilient, and just community now and in the future.

Western is a recognized national leader in sustainability and resilience work among institutions of higher education. As one of the inaugural signatories of the President’s Climate Commitment in 2007, Western has been proactive in addressing the issue of human-caused global warming on our campus and in our region. In January 2016, Western renewed the original Climate Commitment and expanded it to include efforts to build resilience to disruptive environmental and economic change.

The 2024 Campus Sustainability Index recognizes Western as a leader among two-year colleges for its overall sustainability efforts.

Western is a member of The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) and the Upper Midwest Association of Campus Sustainability (UMACS).  Benefits to Western employees include access to a generous amount of resources, a network of folks around the country working on or interested in sustainability in higher ed, and reduced program and conference rates.

To learn more about sustainability at Western, view our interactive map of sustainability.