Chancellor's Environment, Sustainability and Resilience Commission
The Chancellor's Environment, Sustainability and Resilience Commission (CESRC) provides strategic recommendations and ongoing advice to the Chancellor related to the environmental, social, and economic well-being of University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL) and its stakeholders. The CESRC promotes the socially responsible stewardship of resources and the creation of resilient systems that are adaptable and recoverable to short- and long-term environmental and technological changes.
Read the Master Plan Read Appendix AGo to UNL Sustainability Office for information about current Environment, Sustainability and Resilience Environment, Sustainability and Resilience at UNL activities.
Organization
The CERSC consists of two Co-chairs, an executive council and eight working groups organized around the ten themes and related aspirational goals presented in the UNL Environment, Sustainability, and Resilience (ESR) Master Plan.
Membership and Responsibilities
The CESRC co-chairs are the UNL Sustainability Coordinator and the Director of UNL Sustainability Initiatives - a UNL faculty member appointed by the Chancellor.
Members of the CERSC include UNL faculty, staff and students. Members are selected by the co-chairs with relevant input from the CESRC Executive Council using a simple and transparent application process. Applications include a statement of interest, relevant experience and expertise, and the identification of the working group with which the person would most like to be involved.
Working groups consist of five (5) to eight (8) members including at least one student. Working groups provide recommendations for action and linkages to the UNL community as well as promote and monitor progress on the UNL ESR Master Plan. Each of the working groups have at least one member on the Executive Council.
Working groups (WG) are formed from members of the CESRC around the ten Master Plan Themes
UNL's Environment, Sustainability, and Resilience Master Plan
Ten Themes, Aspirational Goals, Long-term Objectives, Short-term Objectives, Strategies/Actions, & Connections to N150, N2025, and UNSDGs
External and Internal Engagement Tier
Teaching, Research, and Wellness Tier
Facilities and Operations Tier
Working Groups
- Administration WG
- Campus Facilities & Operations WG - Energy
- Campus Facilities & Operations WG - Transportation
- Campus Facilities & Operations WG - Water and Waste Management
- Campus Facilities & Operations WG - Landscape and Ecosytems
- Health & Wellness WG
- Research & Innovation WG
- Teaching & Learning WG
CESRC members collaborate to create an accountability framework in which the CERSC working groups, the CERSC executive council, and the Executive Campus Planning Group interact to implement, promote and monitor progress on the implementation of the ESR Master plan.
CESRC members serve as ambassadors and conduits of information to promote the aspirational goals of the Master Plan and its implementation across campus to create a culture that applies sustainability-centric values and practices to everything we do.
CESRC members comprise an integrated communication network of ESR ambassadors who engage broadly with the university’s internal and external stakeholders and facilitates action among faculty, staff and students. A primary activity of this network are monthly CESRC meetings to update members and other interested UNL faculty, staff, and students on current ESR efforts across the University. These meetings feature speakers who share information about efforts across the UNL community that enhance the ESR culture at UNL.
CESRC Executive Council generally meets monthly to implement and coordinate specific activities that will help enable the communication and collaboration needed to effectively implement the ESR Master Plan. The Council will coordinate contributions from the various working groups and the UNL Sustainability Office to create an annual State of the Environment, Sustainability and Resilience report at UNL.
Meetings
The CESRC and Working Groups shall meet based on need. The co-chairpersons are responsible for calling Commission meetings, preparing the agenda, and presiding at meetings. Working group leaders are responsible for calling action team meetings, preparing the agenda, and presiding at meetings.