The Climate and Sustainability Initiative team at Duke Kunshan University has received the 2026 Duke Climate Commitment Award in recognition of its leadership in advancing campus sustainability efforts.
2026 Duke University Climate Commitment Awards group photo outside Cameron Indoor Stadium, April 9, 2026
Presented by Duke University’s Office of Climate and Sustainability, the award honors faculty, staff and students who show outstanding leadership in climate action and help advance Duke University’s Climate Commitment.
DKU launched the Climate and Sustainability Initiative, or CSI, on April 23, 2024, to bring its sustainability work under a more unified structure. Since then, CSI has brought greater coordination and long-term planning to campus sustainability work.
Led by Coraline Goron, assistant professor of environmental policy and director of CSI, along with program coordinator Yi Yu, CSI has helped shape a governance structure by establishing a cross-departmental Sustainability Committee to advance the university’s broader sustainability planning across four areas: education, research, operations, and engagement.
“Since the launch of CSI, DKU has made rapid progress in improving environmental health, reducing energy consumption, protecting biodiversity, and raising awareness through education, research and engagement,” Goron said. “This award is an important recognition and a great encouragement to continue our work of mainstreaming sustainability into all aspects of DKU’s operations and educational mission.”
CSI has also worked to make sustainability a more visible part of everyday campus life. The initiative has organized programs such as Sustainability Day for new students, helping introduce environmental awareness at the start of the student experience. It has also supported the launch of a climate and sustainability website and a monthly newsletter to connect resources and encourage wider participation across campus.
At the 2026 Duke International Forum, DKU released the second edition of its student-led DKU Sustainability Report, which was supervised by the CSI team. Building on the first edition published in 2022, the report covers six areas: healthy and climate-resilient buildings, energy and carbon emissions, biodiversity, food, water and waste. It reviews the university’s progress and offers recommendations for further improvement.
CSI has also supported a range of campus-based projects, including the ECOnnect initiative (a student-led campus biodiversity enhancement program), energy-saving and waste-sorting awareness campaigns, and projects focused on food waste composting and carbon accounting. Together, these efforts aim to improve sustainability on campus while giving students more opportunities to take part in climate and sustainability work.
