Office of Sustainability

Guest Posts SDG3

Employee Health Resources at Auburn University

By Patrick JohnstonAuburn University offers multiple resources to employees and their dependents to help sustain and enhance their physical, psychological, and emotional health. The website, thrive!, features many of these resources. A couple of examples are featured below. Uprise Employees are encouraged to check out the content from Uprise, our…

ContributorSeptember 6, 2023

Director's Corner SDG11 SDG3

Director’s Corner: Sustainability Reflects “The Progress of the Human Mind”

“Sustainability is a non-negotiable yardstick against which all our actions, goals, and plans have to be measured.” Robert Costanza My favorite memorial or monument in Washington, D.C. is the Jefferson Memorial. It is a beautiful structure in a gorgeous setting, especially when cherry blossoms bloom in the spring. Photo Credit: Neal…

Mike KenslerSeptember 6, 2023

Guest Posts SDG SDG11 SDG3 SDG6

Building Community in Switzerland

By Becki Retzlaff I am writing this blog from the beautiful city of Bern, Switzerland, where I am attending an academic conference on environmental history. It is poetic that I am tasked with writing a blog about the society point of the sustainability compass from Bern, a city with a…

ContributorSeptember 1, 2023

SDG1 SDG3 SDG8 STARS

Employee Wellness Assessment: Auburn University’s STARS Report

Human behavior is influenced by the environment in which it resides. The average worker spends the most amount of time every day at work. That accumulates to 90,000 hours in the workplace over the course of their life. Therefore, the workplace environment is a significant factor in the lifetime well-being…

ContributorJune 5, 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

Guest Posts SDG3 Updates

Walk @ lunch!

By Patrick Johnston “Me thinks that the moment my legs begin to move, my thoughts begin to flow.” – Henry David Thoreau If you’re an Auburn employee who enjoys walking or spending time with your co-workers, then mark your calendars for April 26. That’s when Walk @ Lunch will occur across…

ContributorApril 3, 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 SDG15 SDG3 Updates

The Importance of Planting Native Vegetation

by John Kush Anyone who has moved about Auburn in last few years has noticed the continued growth of our community. With this growth, we continue to lose valuable green space and tree canopy, which negatively impacts the ecological function of our local environment. Water filtration decreases with an increase…

ContributorJanuary 4, 2023

SDG15 SDG3 SDG6 STARS Updates

GROUNDS ASSESSMENT: AUBURN UNIVERSITY’S STARS REPORT

by Meleah Montgomery, Office of Sustainability Universities draw students because of exceptional academic programs, job opportunities, and most importantly, the environment on campus. Grounds are a crucial component of an institution because it is the first thing students observe when visiting and serve as a daily route for thousands of…

ContributorJanuary 3, 2023