Sustainability Reports and Plan
Each year, Caltech's Sustainability Office issues an annual report reviewing the Institute's progress toward enhancing campus sustainability. Progress in the six main sustainability focus areas of energy, water, materials, built environment, mobility, and emissions are chronicled in each year's report.
Introductory Letter to the 2024 Annual Report
The beginning of 2024 saw a continuation of many of the challenges that were seen in 2022 and 2023, including cogeneration outages and difficulties in standing up a full recycling program. Unlike 2022 and 2023, when improvements were only on the horizon or planned, the end of 2024 saw many direct improvements in campus sustainability performance and the emergence of new and exciting programs.
Many of these achievements were brought about by the successful completion and release to the general public of Caltech's first ever comprehensive sustainability plan. Building upon 15+ years of progress, this document set new standards for all programs including those which had historically been underfunded or received less attention. Combined with an early 2024 announcement on campus decarbonization ambitions, this sustainability plan ushered in a new era of progress. While much of this realized success will be more readily seen in the metrics of future reports, the spirit of optimism that escalated throughout 2024 was unmistakable. These efforts coincided with the opening of the Resnick Sustainability Center, as educational and research efforts progressed alongside campus operations. Looking into 2025 and beyond, Caltech is poised to see unprecedented advancements in operational sustainability.
Maximilian Christman, Sustainability Manager; April 2025
