Office of Sustainability

SDG13 SDG7 STARS

Energy Assessment: Auburn University’s STARS Report

By Hannah Schwartz Universities play a pivotal role in shaping the future, not just through education but also by setting an example of responsible stewardship. Saving energy isn't just about cutting costs; it's about society, wellbeing, and environmental impact. By implementing energy-saving measures, universities demonstrate commitment to mitigating climate change…

ContributorApril 27, 2024

SDG11 SDG13 SDG16 SDG17 SDG5 STARS

Coordination & Planning Assessment: Auburn University’s STARS Report

By Randy Martin & Bella Wright A quick look at the top public colleges reveals that in each of their strategic plans, sustainability is taken seriously and given a prominent seat in the future of their institutions. This isn’t for show. Beyond the “good citizen” reasons, it's a smart business…

ContributorApril 13, 2024

Director's Corner SDG13

Director’s Corner: Earth Day & a “new type of thinking”

“…a new type of thinking is essential if mankind is to survive and move toward higher levels.” Albert Einstein In July of 1969, as he floated alone above the moon while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon, Command Module pilot Michael Collins made this observation of the…

Mike KenslerApril 2, 2024

SDG12 SDG13 SDG3 Sustainability in Action

Go Green for Graduation!

By Bella Wright* Graduation is right around the corner! While we celebrate fellow graduates, let’s keep in mind these tips to help sustain the Loveliest Village on the Plains! Looking to jazz up your graduation photos? Embark on a fun D.I.Y craft to create your own confetti by hole-punching dried…

ContributorFebruary 27, 2024

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

SDG13 SDG15 SDG16 SDG4 Sustainability in Action Updates

Campus Changemaker: Karen McNeal

Karen on a hike with her family By Camille Colter, Office of Sustainability Karen McNeal is a professor of Geosciences within the College of Sciences and Mathematics, hired as one of the first disciple-based education researchers (DBERs). DBERs conduct nontraditional disciplinary research on education. Karen’s work focuses on understanding how…

ContributorMarch 31, 2023

Guest Posts SDG13 SDG16 SDG17 Updates

The Weather is More than Small Talk: What I Learned from Climate Scientists on a Trip to the Southeast

By Sabrina De Los Santos Rodríguez Dark clouds over the Week's Bay boat. Photo credits: Sabrina De Los Santos Rodríguez On Sunday, August 7th, 2022 I was on a white van with seven other people - all climate science graduate students and professors with diverse specialties. We were leading the…

ContributorMarch 27, 2023

Guest Posts SDG1 SDG10 SDG13 SDG16 SDG17 SDG5 SDG6 Updates

Climate Change: An Issue of Climate Justice

by Ghanashyam Khanal and Nabin Bhandari While about two frenetic weeks of discussions and negotiations on climate change, damage and loss, and climate finance were going on at COP27 in Egypt, a documentary that depicted the impact of climate change on women and children in the Himalayan regions of Nepal…

ContributorMarch 13, 2023

Guest Posts SDG13 SDG14 SDG15 Updates

The Big and Small ways to Celebrate Earth Day

by Becki Retzlaff Every Earth Day I am reminded of two things. The first is when I was a teenager, and my friends and I volunteered to plant trees at a park near my home in Michigan. We labored all day to carefully plant little pine tree seedlings in long…

ContributorMarch 13, 2023

Director's Corner SDG13 SDG4 Updates

Director’s Corner: Warriors for the Human Spirit

“A Warrior for the Human Spirit is a decent human being who aspires to be of service in an indecent, inhumane time.” Margaret Wheatley, Who Do We Choose to Be? Effective individuals, leaders, teams, organizations, and societies practice a common discipline: the willingness and courage to, in the words of…

Mike KenslerJanuary 31, 2023