Sustainability

The Dean of Students Office is seeking student speakers and bell ringers for UNC Charlotte’s Fall Commencement ceremonies (Friday and Saturday, Dec. 14-15). Faculty and staff are requested to encourage students graduating in December to apply for one of these prestigious honors.

UNC Charlotte staff, faculty and students recently participated in the seventh annual Appalachian Energy Summit, hosted by Appalachian State University. The summit is a gathering of energy and sustainability leaders from higher education and other industries to exchange ideas for improving campus performance in energy, buildings, waste, transport, buildings and curriculum.

The Weird Recycling Center, located on the first floor of Popp Martin Student Union, provides the campus community an opportunity to recycle unique items.

Funded by the Charlotte Green Initiative, the Weird Recycling Center accepts items such as plastic bags (which must be clean, dry and empty) and unwanted cords, cables, batteries and ink cartridges. The center also provides an opportunity for student organizations to host donation collections for other unique items.

The hot, windless days of summer can cause air quality to decrease, which indicates a greater exposure to airborne pollutants. During the month of August, Charlotte citizens are being challenged to do their part to reduce the amount of pollution in the air.
Beginning Wednesday, Aug. 1, N. C. Air Awareness, in partnership with Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) and Sustain Charlotte, is hosting the Clean Commute Challenge. Participants are asked to avoid single-person-per-vehicle commutes during the month, helping make the air cleaner.

The Integrated Network for Social Sustainability (INSS) and Sustain Charlotte are partnering to host the 2018 Charlotte Sustainability Summit, scheduled for Thursday through Saturday, June 7-9, at UNC Charlotte Center City.

This three-day summit will include presentations of student research, a film, discussions, workshops and talks that highlight the impact of collaborative efforts to advance sustainability in Charlotte.

The 2018 RecycleMania competition results are in, and UNC Charlotte’s showing indicates improvement in sustainable practices across campus. More than 200 colleges and universities participated in this annual competition, which ran from Feb. 4 through March 31.

Highlights from the University’s participation include:

Members of the campus community can properly dispose of unwanted electronics (e-waste) and medications between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Friday, March 2, in Parking Lot 5A.

This collection event is part of the University’s participation in the RecycleMania tournament, which ends March 31. All items collected will be included in final results submitted to the competition.

UNC Charlotte again is participating in RecycleMania, a competition designed to promoted waste reduction at colleges and universities across the United States and Canada.

This year’s contest is Feb. 4 through March 31; the University’s Sustainability and Recycling teams are facilitating UNC Charlotte’s participation.  

UNC Charlotte’s Veterans Services Office is committed to reducing its environmental footprint.

As the first office on campus to attain a Green Office Certification for the 2017-18 academic year, Veterans Services sets an example the Sustainability Office hopes many will follow.

Charlotte Wheels is a new campus bike-share program using Gotcha Bikes. Ten rack corrals have been installed, and 50 Gotcha Bikes are available for rent.

The bikes are belt-driven and have Shirmano three-speed internal gears; they also have baskets with bungee cords to secure books and packages. Safety lights illuminate the front and rear.