Total Resource Use & Efficiency (TRUE)
TRUE, a program administered by GBCI, is a zero waste certification program dedicated to measuring, improving and recognizing zero waste performance.
It serves as a complement to the LEED green building rating system created by the USGBC.
In 2024, ESF became the nation’s first institution of higher education to achieve campus-wide TRUE Precertification for zero-waste operations (Syracuse campus). Contact the Office of Sustainability to review our Precertification submittal. Precertification is an optional, incremental pathway to TRUE certification that prioritizes the core actions essential to getting a successful start toward zero waste. Learn more about the process by reviewing the TRUE Precertification Guidance. It is our hope that we will obtain TRUE Certification across all ESF campuses one day.
This very difficult to achieve certification necessitates a diversion (recycling and composting) rate of 90%. Visit the Zero Waste and Circularity Data page to explore our zero waste and circularity progress to date.