Office for Sustainability

Across Grounds, faculty and staff have committed to making UVA more sustainable. Several offices and departments have sought to incorporate sustainability into the work setting through the Green Workplace Program, including the International Studies Office (ISO). Read more about ISO's commitment to UVA's sustainability efforts!

The Green Labs program, started in 2016, helped focus and lead efforts to assess and improve lab sustainability at UVA. The subsequent success and expansion of the program has created new opportunities for students to contribute to Green Labs initiatives around Grounds, including positions for two Green Lab interns. Read more to hear about how Dakota and Pumoli have helped transform the Green Labs program.

UVA’s Hoos ReUse program provides students an opportunity to donate gently-used or unwanted items to various community organizations in hopes of minimizing the amount of waste sent to the landfill. Hoos Reuse will still take place this year but will look differently given the ongoing COVID-19 situation. While waste minimization is certainly important, the health and safety of our community takes top priority during this year’s campaign. If you choose to donate, please be sure to practice social distancing and review best practices listed by the Center for Disease Control.

April 3, 2020
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.

December 16, 2019
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.

Special events are an important part of the UVA experience. From football games to Lighting of the Lawn to Puppies & Pumpkins, there are always special events happening across Grounds. To help reduce the waste sent to the landfill, UVA has encouraged special events to go zero waste or include compost collection when possible.

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.

Recap some of our student employees' sustainable summer experiences!