Transcript F & BO Green Team - University of Maryland, College Park

Institutionalizing Sustainability
Performance Metrics
Smart & Sustainable Campuses Conference 2013
Presented by
Keri Enright-Kato
Yale Office of Sustainability
Indicator
Signal that reveals progress (or lack thereof) towards objectives;
means of measuring what actually happens against what has been
planned in terms of quantity, quality and timeliness. An indicator
is a quantitative or qualitative variable that provides a simple and
reliable basis for assessing achievement, change or performance.
Source: Handbook on monitoring and evaluating for results. UNDP, Evaluation Office,
New York, 2002.
Metric
Standard of measurement
Source: Merriam Webster Dictionary
Selecting Meaningful Sustainability Indicators
Five Key Questions:
1. What is your intended sustainable outcome? What do you
value?
2. Do the indicators you’ve selected measure progress toward
your goal/outcome?
3. Is your indicator clear and easy to understand?
4. Is the indicator based on accessible data?
5. Are you collecting too many indicators?
Selecting Meaningful Sustainability Indicators
Quantitative
Proxy/Indirect
Qualitative
Objective and verifiable metrics that are
represented by a number. Typically easier to collect.
i.e. campus greenhouse gas emissions.
An indirect measure that can represent the impact. i.e.
Number of people that subscribe to our campaign
emails or number of green office certifications indicate
levels of engagement.
Often considered unverifiable and subjective.
However, if properly developed and interpreted,
qualitative indicators play a significant role in
identifying constraints to implementation and
obstacles to success, which may not be readily
apparent. i.e. conducting focus groups with
targeted questions leading to insightful responses.
Yale University: Sustainability Metrics Timeline
Yale Office of
Sustainability
Founded
2005
First Progress Report &
Transition metrics to a
cloud based data
software program
Formal analysis of
trends presented to
AVP of Facilities
2006
2008
Metric collection
commences
2010
2012
2013
Sustainability
Strategic Plan
Developed
Second Progress
Report and Strategic
Plan 2.0
Yale Office of Sustainability
2005
2006
2008
2010
2012
2013
Tips for Standardizing the Data Collection Process
Face to
Email
FaceRequest
Meeting
Automated
System
Frequency
Storing Your Metrics
Storing Your Metrics
Strategic Planning & Setting Targets
Communicating Metrics: Website
Communicating Metrics: Reports
Communicating Metrics:
Campaigns, Posters, & Fact Sheets
Communicating Progress: Annual Progress Report
Communicating Metrics: Equivalencies
Communicating Progress: Equivalencies
Communicating Metrics: Equivalencies
Communicating Metrics: Presentations
Questions?