The embrace of sustainability at Ithaca College as a formal initiative may be relatively recent, but the move towards sustainability as a central principle in the life of the College is hardly novel.

In April 2001, President Peggy R. Williams approved the Comprehensive Environmental Plan, which was developed as a guiding framework by the Resource and Environmental Management Program (REMP). REMP, a coalition of students, faculty and staff collaborates to meet a number of broad-ranging campus environmental objectives, including integrating environmental education, increasing environmentally preferable purchasing, and improving waste management and resource reduction systems.