Engineering a greener campus: Logan David’s journey as a sustainability steward

Logan David, a junior civil engineering major, has made sustainability a core part of his UNC Charlotte experience. Growing up in a small town, environmental stewardship was always important to David, and moving to an urban University has only magnified that sense of responsibility. 

For nearly three years, he has worked for the Office of Sustainability, first as an EcoRep and now as a Zero Waste Steward, while balancing his engineering coursework. David views sustainability as a form of civic responsibility and takes pride in knowing that he has contributed to a cleaner campus.

“I like to think of my job as community service,” David said. “Even if I don’t see the direct impacts, I know that over my life, I’ve probably stopped three tons of waste from going to a landfill.”

From small-town naturalist to urban environmental steward 

Growing up in Randleman, North Carolina, David enjoyed being outdoors and going on hikes. He noted, in a small town, waste is a big deal.

“It sucks being on a mountain, three miles out from the road, and seeing a chip bag,” David said. “Being respectful to the environment is important to me and I think it should be important to everyone because, you know, we only have one Earth.”

At Charlotte, David began as an EcoRep, focused on tabling, hosting events and spreading the word about sustainability on campus. This spring, he will support Earth Month programming including Earth Day Festival, Party for the Planet and the newly introduced clothing Swap Shop.

David is also the student coordinator for the Office of Sustainability’s Adopt-a-Spot litter clean up program, coordinating the over 40 participating student organizations. This January he co-authored a case study published by AASHE, crunching the numbers for student volunteer time and tons of litter collected.

As a Zero Waste Steward, David supports the football stadium’s commitment to waste diversion by collecting tons of trash during home games and supervising volunteers as they sort recycling and compost. The program has expanded this semester, starting collections and sorts at women’s lacrosse and softball games.

Zero waste has deepened David’s consciousness of waste management and illuminated the impact a group of students can have.  

“Zero waste has made me realize everything I’ve ever owned in my life is somewhere right now,” David said. “It’s surreal to see tons of recycling in a bin and knowing me and this group of 30 people stopped that from going to a landfill.”

Combining engineering with sustainability 

As a civil engineering major, David connects his interest in sustainability with the practical challenges facing a more eco-friendly future. In “Intro to Environmental Engineering,” David is learning about the conflict between environmental problems and the cost of solutions.

Interning this summer at SeamonWhiteside, David will gain experience to hopefully end up at an environmental engineering firm where he can drive change.

Staying grounded 

Outside of his rigorous coursework, David turns to nature to decompress. He still enjoys hiking for the workout and the excuse to unplug from technology; his favorite hikes are Crowders Mountain and Stone Mountain State Parks.

A problem solver at heart, David also built his own terrarium. He repurposed a cabinet found on Facebook Marketplace and filled it with tropical plants and carnivorous pitcher plants. This self-contained ecosystem provides him with a sense of calm.

“I’m so busy all the time, it’s nice to take a second, look at it for a little while and see how it’s growing and changing,” David said.