Brandeis University is an institution that prides itself on social justice; on being a multicultural, pluralistic institution that teaches its students how to go out into the world and change it for the better. In the core courses, students learn about justice, intercultural relations, equity, and other issues foundational to our society. The Brandeis community is known for its pursuit of what is right, of seeking truth, and for its will and desire to change the world for the better. And the institution, our university, aims to reflect that. However, we are overlooking and missing one issue, which is the key to our social justice, peace, and equity mission.

As the climate crisis worsens, we are personally experiencing the consequences of anthropogenic climate change as seasons get warmer, storms get stronger, droughts last longer and flooding gets more severe. In the summer of 2024, during this critical time for humanity when we should have been doing as much as we could to lower our environmental impact, Brandeis University closed its sustainability office.

The Brandeis University Office of Sustainability was central to the environmental and sustainability efforts of our community. Without it, we are directionless, lacking sustainability policies, and lagging behind other universities in an issue where Brandeis, as a social justice institution, should be a leader. As a university with more resources than most institutions and a greater negative impact on the climate crisis than other Boston area schools, we need to live up to our social justice foundation and work to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and unsustainable practices. We, as proud members of the Brandeis community, call on the university and the university administration to reestablish the office of sustainability and hire a new sustainability coordinator. Positive change and the resources for it are well within our reach - all we need is to work toward it.