The University of Toledo

University's Commitment

AtThe University of Toledo blue and gold make green, and UT strives to be an innovator in sustainability.

From research labs to dining halls, The University of Toledo is taking proactive steps to meet the needs of today without compromising the ability of future generations to meet the needs of tomorrow.

Living this commitment means not only developing the technology to reduce society’s negative impact on the environment, but also taking actions to change our culture to one in which the positive impacts of living sustainably are universally understood.

Campus Dedicated to Green
UT, a national leader in solar energy research, is the only university in the country to commit an entire campus to advancing renewable, alternative and sustainable energies. The Scott Park Campus is being transformed into a dedicated Campus of Energy and Innovation.

The campus will serve as a hands-on alternative energy laboratory for teaching, research and demonstration, as well as to generate energy and reduce the University’s carbon footprint.
Proposed projects will include work with wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, energy storage, electric transportation, and transformational grid analytics and modeling.

Strategic Plan
The University of Toledo’s Strategic plan, Directions, proposes six broad objectives and related strategies and focuses on seven strategically selected thematic areas across multiple academic units, the order of which is not intended to reflect prioritization. The University’s research and education programs related to sustainability include the following:

• Environmental Impacts on Health, examines the interaction between human activity and the environment, especially the impacts on life and wellness, through an assessment of geographical information, the source and disposition of pollutants, human physiology, economic sustainability, technologies and related factors.

• Energy Sustainability and Conservation, focuses on the development of renewable energy sources, such as solar cells and biofuels, as well as the creation of advanced materials and infrastructure, enhanced intermodal transportation networks, and urban planning.

• Public Engagement, Regional Economic Revitalization and Global Competitiveness, focuses on applied research critical to a highly engaged metropolitan university and developing enhanced mechanisms for accessing policy development and decision making authorities.

• Science and Technology Education, focuses on transformational PK-12 educational programs emphasizing scientific literacy and career preparation, and based on benchmarked outcomes research.

• Life and the Universe examines the relationships among scientific, cosmological, philosophical, anthropological, cultural and religious theories and their connections to environmental issues and sustainability.