Office of Sustainability

Guest Posts Professional Development SDG11 SDG12 Updates

Energy Efficiency is in the Air

By Betsy Farrell Garcia* Extending the applied research in housing access and affordability conducted by faculty and students at Auburn University Rural Studio, the faculty-led Front Porch Initiative works with not-for-profit builder partners across the southeast offering housing products and technical assistance to build houses to beyond-code standards. As of…

ContributorApril 28, 2023

SDG11 SDG3 Updates

LEED Buildings on Campus

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a rating system used for green buildings and is overseen by the United States Green Building Council. LEED certification provides third-party verification that human health, environmental responsibility, and other performance goals of building projects have been achieved. LEED certified buildings make a…

ContributorApril 17, 2023

SDG11 SDG13 SDG3 SDG7 STARS Updates

Emissions Assessment: Auburn University’s STARS Report

By Randy Martin, Office of Sustainability The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently released its latest report assessing the current status and trends of climate change, future risks and the long- and near-term responses. This report contained a sentence that has stuck with me since I first read it: …

ContributorApril 6, 2023

Director's Corner SDG11 SDG3 SDG9 Updates

Director’s corner: Green Certified Buildings Are Good For You!

“We shape our buildings, and afterwards our buildings shape us.” Winston Churchill The M. Miller Gorrie Center received LEED certification in 2008. Photo credit: Jen Morse. Modern humans in modern surroundings spend almost all of their time indoors. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), North Americans, on average, spend…

Mike KenslerApril 3, 2023

Guest Posts SDG11 Updates

The Case for Higher Parking Fees at Auburn

by Becki Retzlaff When I arrived on campus at Auburn 16 years ago, the campus green space and the location of what is now the Harold Melton Student Center was a giant parking lot. Since then, other former parking lots have also been transformed into beloved buildings and green spaces…

ContributorJanuary 2, 2023

Guest Posts SDG11 SDG12 Updates

The Greenest Building is One Already Built

by Becki Retzlaff Auburn University is home to some excellent examples of green buildings, and Auburn has made commitments to purchasing sustainable equipment and construction materials for new buildings. One fine example of such a building is the new Jay and Susie Gouge Performing Arts Center, which is certified by…

ContributorNovember 11, 2022

SDG11 SDG12 SDG13 SDG4 SDG6 Sustainability in Action Updates

Campus Changemaker: Chris Wyckoff

by Camille Colter, Office of Sustainability Photo credit: AU Photographic Services As most of us know, the first year of college can be scary. The First Year Experience (FYE) Office helps students in this transition. FYE houses the orientation programs Camp War Eagle and Successfully Orienting Students, as well as…

ContributorOctober 27, 2022

SDG11 SDG12 SDG13 SDG3 SDG9 STARS Updates

Transportation Assessment: Auburn University’s STARS Report

by Randy Martin, Office of Sustainability If you have seen the dark smoke billow out of the exhaust of a tractor-trailer or have had your windows down behind an older vehicle that coughs its way forward, you’ve seen firsthand the pollution that a single vehicle can produce. Now imagine all of…

ContributorSeptember 8, 2022

Guest Posts SDG11 SDG9 Updates

Transit-Oriented Development: Moving Southerners Around

by Max Garcia, Sustainability Auburn Alumni Affiliate I am a land use planner working and residing in St. Augustine, Florida that graduated from Auburn University in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Design. I have fond memories of Tiger Transit on Auburn’s campus, especially when a car was not…

ContributorSeptember 6, 2022

Director's Corner SDG11 SDG3 SDG9 Updates

Director’s Corner: A Bicycle Friendly University

“Young adults want to ride more and drive less, and with defined borders and high-density environments, university campuses are ideal settings to cultivate a culture of biking.” ~The League of American Bicyclists  Bicycle Friendly University Silver Designation The League of American Bicyclists has certified the Auburn University campus as…

Mike KenslerSeptember 6, 2022