Engage
“UVA Sustainability partnered with many Charlottesville & Albemarle organizations on the ‘Earth Day Every Day’ campaign which encouraged the community to participate in different types of engagement on different days of the week all throughout the month of April.” Read more to learn about how the Office for Sustainability adapted to the "new normal" and ran a successful outreach campaign.
Although we can no longer be together in person, the UVA, Charlottesville, and Albemarle communities remain united in our commitment to climate action. The 50th Anniversary of Earth Day is coming up on April 22, 2020, and we won’t let this landmark time go entirely uncelebrated. Read more to learn about the creative ways you can employ to stay motivated in the pursuit of a better Earth.
After its first semester, the Eco-leaders program flourished, by promoting green living in UVA dorms. Read more about what founder, Bobby Pazhwak, and his students have to say about the success of the program.
A Zero Waste Event (ZWE) is an event in which 90% of the produced waste can be diverted from the landfill. This means that the vast majority of waste is either composted or recycled. Out of 243 special events at UVA, an incredible 157 events either achieved zero waste or collected compost, demonstrating departments and student groups alike are making the switch to zero waste events. To make the switch easy, the Office for Sustainability (OFS) recently released an updated version of the Zero Waste Guide to walk event planners through the process.
Sustainability Advocates
The mission of the UVA Sustainability Advocates (SA) Program is to link the Office for Sustainability to the student body and to use our ideas and projects to instill knowledge, empower students, and create sustainable lifestyle changes. The SA Program allows volunteers to develop an understanding of energy & water conservation, recycling, and other green habits. They promote these issues in their residence area and throughout the University, act as a source of information for their peers, and help to foster a sense of community and stewardship for the planet.
Get Involved: Community Partners
UVA works with many local partners to advance sustainability regionally and on grounds.
Get Involved: Alumni
Open to all UVA Alumni, the Sustainability Alumni Network brings together alumni to connect with each other and advance a collaborative vision for sustainability at UVA in partnership with current students, staff, and faculty. The UVA Sustainability Alumni Network, a pan-university partnership, represents an exciting opportunity to actively connect alumni to UVA’s collaborative and interdisciplinary sustainability networks to further enhance UVA’s leadership in the multi-faceted realm of sustainability.
Give & Offset
In 2016, UVA launched its first comprehensive sustainability plan. Building on the work of over 100 stakeholders, the plan outlines 23 goals and 101 actions to embed sustainability across UVA in areas such as energy, nitrogen, waste, water, food as well as curriculum, teaching and community engagement and equity.