Our Commitments

Over the last decade and a half, GW has prioritized sustainability through goal setting and action. To demonstrate its commitment to sustainability, GW in 2008 signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (now known as the Presidents' Climate Leadership Commitments), requiring the university to set a target date for climate neutrality. The same year, GW created an Office of Sustainability, dedicating staff to coordinate sustainability performance improvement. In 2012, GW joined with the other DC-based higher education institutions to collectively sign the District of Columbia Mayor’s College and University Sustainability Pledge, a local collaborative to advance sustainability goals and shared accountability. In 2017, GW reaffirmed its commitment to the Paris Agreement on climate change and joined the We Are Still In coalition to cut U.S. carbon emissions in half by 2030.

In June 2020, the GW Board of Trustees Task Force on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Responsibility published a report stating the university’s commitment to taking swift and decisive action to reverse the trends of climate change and of inequity in our institutions and society. The ESG Responsibility Task Force commitments are some of the most ambitious in higher education, including achieving carbon neutrality by 2030 (with an interim target of 40% reduction by 2025) and the elimination of single-use plastics. These commitments also include divesting the endowment of all fossil fuel companies and achieving a Platinum Rating within the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (STARS) by 2025. The Office of Sustainability and its network of dozens of university partners are focused on implementing these commitments and regularly reporting on progress in the coming years.

Current Progress Toward ESG Responsibility Task Force Commitments

Endowment

• In 2020, GW pledged to phase out public and private investments in companies primarily engaged in fossil fuel extraction from its endowment by 2025. The university has fulfilled that pledge.
• As part of this effort GW helped launch new fossil-fuel-free investment products, broadening sustainable options in the market. It also invested with companies leading the transition to a low-carbon economy and partnered with ESG fund managers who actively push corporate leaders to improve sustainability and resource efficiency.
• GW has no history of making direct public investments in fossil fuel companies, and since 2013 has not made commitments to invest in private funds that focus on businesses that derive the majority of their revenues from the extraction of fossil fuels. 

Operations

• As of FY2025, GW had reduced its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 40% from a 2008 baseline by using more renewable energy, upgrading buildings to be more energy efficient, taking energy conservation measures and encouraging cleaner transportation options. The university has developed plans to decarbonize 15 campus buildings, and will seek to integrate those projects within planned capital projects to align with other priorities to advance teaching and learning, research, and the student experience. GW's annual GHG emissions inventory is publicly disclosed here.
• In September 2025, GW earned STARS Platinum with 85.19 points, more than 17 points higher than in 2020 (68.20). This was the twelfth highest score achieved by a U.S. college or university in STARS version 2.2. The university is working to implement changes to increase performance within the engagement and operations categories.
• In 2021, GW adopted a policy prohibiting the purchase of single-use plastics with university funds. Implementation is supported by a broad array of partners including safety and facilities, procurement, events and venues, and dining. More than 100 water bottle filling stations have been installed across GW's campuses including each residence hall and each major academic building. Vending machines and markets operated by GW Dining have eliminated plastic-bottled beverages except in instances where there is no alternative.

Academics

• Housed within the recently launched GW Alliance for a Sustainable Future, the GW Sustainability Institute collaborate across schools, departments, and institutes to generate knowledge that empowers the formulation of policies and practices, ensuring thriving societies today while safeguarding similar opportunities and resources for future generations.

Additional Highlights

• Beginning in 2026, GW will match all the electricity it buys from the grid with electricity generated from renewable sources. This is possible through a new 15-year power purchase agreement that supports the development of new solar energy. The agreement expands on a similar long-term solar partnership GW entered in 2015, which helped launch one of the largest non-utility solar projects on the East Coast.
• GW has adopted a zero waste approach, implementing a series of strategies to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills while increasing recycling, reuse, donation, and composting. As of spring 2022, the university has begun rapidly deploying and scaling up composting programs. Through dining venue- and event-based composting along with centralized drop off on campus, GW diverted more than 500,000 pounds of organic waste from landfill in FY2025 alone.
• GW’s campuses are home to 17 LEED projects, having earned certification requiring minimum standards in energy and water efficiency, carbon emissions mitigation, indoor environmental quality, and responsible materials sourcing. Thurston Hall, a first-year residence hall, recently achieved LEED Platinum following a major renovation.
• Located in the heart of the District of Columbia, GW has leveraged its location to serve as a model for urban sustainability through efficient and low-carbon transportation. The university has more than 700 bicycle parking spaces on campus, offers a deeply discounted rate for Capital Bikeshare membership for students, faculty and staff, and provides students with a UPass which offers unlimited Metro rides for a flat fee per semester.