SDG13 Archives - Page 2 of 3 - Office of Sustainability

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

Guest Posts SDG12 SDG13 Updates

The Song of the Taiwanese Trash Truck

by Jesse Teel Taiwan had the unfortunate nickname “Garbage Island.” Trash polluted the environment through littering and burning. Mountains of waste rotted in the streets. Taiwan initiated a waste management overhaul and the last two decades have seen a transformation to a clean, largely litter-free country. The waste and recycling…

ContributorJanuary 27, 2023

Director's Corner SDG13 SDG15

Director’s Corner: What we can learn from “Earthrise”

The Gift of Perspective Created on December 24, 1968 “To see the Earth as it truly is, small and blue and beautiful in that eternal silence where it floats is to see ourselves as riders on the Earth together, brothers on that bright loveliness in the eternal cold.” Archibald MacLeish,…

Mike KenslerDecember 2, 2022

Director's Corner SDG13 Updates

Director’s Corner: What should college graduates know about sustainability?

“…a new type of thinking is essential if mankind is to survive and move toward higher levels.” Albert Einstein First off, there is no consensus on an answer to the question posed in the title of this column. I sure don’t pretend to have a complete answer, but I do…

Mike KenslerNovember 7, 2022

Guest Posts SDG13 SDG4 Updates

Sustainability in the Core Curriculum

by Becki Retzlaff Photo credit: Becki Retzlaff An important part of getting an undergraduate education is the core curriculum. The core curriculum helps Auburn maintain its accreditation, makes sure that students have basic knowledge of a variety of subjects, draws different parts of their education together, and provides a well-rounded…

ContributorOctober 31, 2022

SDG13 SDG4 STARS Updates

Academics Assessment: Auburn University’s Stars Report

by Randy Martin, Office of Sustainability Thousands of students attend universities and colleges for primarily one purpose, academics. Academics serve as the backbone of an institution. There are many things that people do and participate in tangentially to classes, but at the root, the university experience is in the classroom.…

ContributorOctober 31, 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

SDG12 SDG13 SDG4 STARS Updates

Campus Engagement ASSESSMENT: AUBURN UNIVERSITY’S STARS REPORT

by Randy Martin, Office of Sustainability Auburn’s vision and mission statement declares, “Auburn University is dedicated to improving the lives of the people of Alabama, the nation, and the world through forward-thinking education...”. We can’t have a forward-thinking education without teaching sustainability. Sustainability is already permeating every facet of our lives.…

ContributorSeptember 30, 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

Director's Corner SDG11 SDG13 SDG7

Regeneration: Reversing Global Degeneration

“If putting the future of life at the heart of everything we do is not central to our purpose and destiny, why are we here?” Paul Hawken In a 1946 New York Times article, the eminently quotable Albert Einstein said, “a new type of thinking is essential if mankind is…

Mike KenslerMarch 2, 2022