Green Living
Jump to our Eco-Leaders newsletter!
With over 2 million square feet of living space operating 24/7, residence halls account for a significant portion of the University’s energy usage. UVA Sustainability has many green living programs promoting sustainability goals on grounds.
There are many things that residents can do to reduce UVA’s environmental impact while also improving student experience.
View the 2025 Hoos Going Green page!
Eco-Leaders
An OFS-backed program for sustainability centered around professional development, dorm engagement, and educational opportunities for students living on Grounds. On-grounds students new to UVA will have the opportunity to make faculty connections and receive professional development in areas related to sustainability. Students will participate in meetings, have Career Center workshops, advocate for sustainability in their dorms, and finish the program with a “Green Certification.” Stay tuned for the application to the 25-26 cohort releasing early fall semester!
Sustainability Programs for Residence Halls
The Office for Sustainability provides four easy programs available at any RA’s request.
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Succulent Saturday: Play some sustainability trivia (with Kahoot!) to learn about efforts on Grounds and receive your very own succulent for your room! OFS will provide succulents.
- Sustainabili-Tea: Bring your reusable mug and enjoy warm beverages (some compostable cups provided). Learn about sustainable food wares and UVA's waste minimization goals.
- O-Hill Hike: Get to know Grounds and local wildlife on this guided hike around the O-Hill trails. You’ll also learn about UVA's carbon-emissions goals and actions residents can take to participate.
- Sustainable Arts and Crafts: Make friendship bracelets and lanyards with recycled materials and talk about recycling and fast fashion.
- Nitrogen Cookout: Join the Nitrogen Working Group for a plant-based cookout to promote sustainable eating habits! Gather with friends to learn about your nitrogen footprint and how you can reduce it. Plant-based burgers, toppings, and sides are included.
Green Living Resources
Eco-Leaders Newsletter
March: Overview for Hoos Going Green
Hoos Going Green is a competition between UVA’s On-Grounds dorms intended to encourage students to practice habits reducing energy and water usage. During the week-long event, which will last from March 31st to April 5th, each dorm will compete to achieve the greatest percentage reduction in these two categories.
More than 4,000 students living on Grounds will compete for a food-related prize, but the ultimate goal of the event is to inspire students to integrate mindful energy and water conservation practices into their daily routines beyond Hoos Going Green.
Live data on energy and water consumption will track the percent decrease in each dorm throughout the week compared to prior data. Check out this website to keep track of each dorm! Because dorms have different energy efficiencies, the competition will be broken up into three sections. The three first-place winners will receive a prize. Look out for information from the Green Living Team providing sustainability tips and sharing resources before and during Hoos Going Green!
Ways to reduce energy and water consumption
- Close your windows!
- Try adjusting the clothes you’re wearing instead of your heating/AC if you can
- Try line drying clothes as much as possible
- If you have a leaky faucet, fix it as fast as possible
- Turn off the water while you’re brushing or scrubbing your hands
- Use natural light through windows
- Unplug devices that aren’t in use
- Charge your device before bed
- Turn off all lights (even lamps!) and fans every time you leave the room
- Try reusable water bottles instead of single-use plastic (making plastic takes a lot of water)
- Try sorting your waste into the proper bin
- Be mindful of water in the shower
So what?
Why should students care about Hoo’s Going Green? Aside from being a friendly competition that can distract you from finals, UVA’s dorm energy race offers a delicious food-related prize to the dorm with the lowest use of energy! Students can learn about their energy usage, and better understand how to reduce in other parts of their lives. This encourages families, friends, and the greater UVA community to become more energy-conscious! Americans consume 26% of the world’s energy and our energy demand grows by 3% every year (Chelsea Green Publishing). As one of the 4,000 UVA students that live on Grounds, even the smallest adjustments you make can have a difference in our national energy consumption. After all, what better way to end the 2024-25 academic year than to enjoy the warm weather and give back to the environment?
February: "X" Marks the Spot!
Happy February, Hoos! Spring is just around the corner, and this month we’re showing off some of our favorite locations in Charlottesville and on-Grounds to help you discover accessible ways to help you incorporate sustainability into your semester. Our school and city communities are rich with opportunities to make your semester green. We’re hoping that our treasure map makes finding them easier than ever!
Our interactive map will help you find where avenues for sustainability lie, a brief description of how the location can help you, and why we think they are so important for sustainability. Sustainable living this semester can come in so many forms: whether you’re looking for plant-based food alternatives at dining halls like Runk or O-Hill, new furniture at the ReUSE Store, or local produce at the Farmer’s Market in downtown Charlottesville, we’ve got you covered! You can read more about these and other opportunities as well as where to find them around our community on our map. The “X” marks the spot!