Sustainability

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.

As temperatures rise, the campus and surrounding communities are more vulnerable to the effects of unhealthy air quality. The annual Clean Commute Challenge, an initiative spearheaded by N.C. Air Awareness, aims to combat this issue. 

The program, administered by the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, provides individuals and organizations with tools to help reduce pollution and exposure to harmful levels of ozone and particulate matter.

A tree planting, the spring Campus Cleanup and an Earth Day Festival are just some of the activities planned by UNC Charlotte’s Sustainability Office to encourage the University community be become more aware of and involved in environmental issues.

UNC Charlotte was honored with 2016 Tree Campus USA recognition by the Arbor Day Foundation for its commitment to effective urban forest management.

Tree Campus USA is a national program created in 2008 by the Arbor Day Foundation to honor colleges and universities for effective campus forest management and for engaging staff and students in conservation goals. There are 296 campuses across the United States with this recognition.

Toward the end of the academic year, as students prepared to depart residence halls for home, the Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling implemented operation “Move Out.”

Tyler Sytsma recently joined UNC Charlotte as the University sustainability coordinator. A member of the Facilities Management Department, Sytsma will handle various projects that involve offices/departments across campus.

A network of people from varied walks of life will gather in Charlotte and other U.S. and U.K. cities Wednesday, June 8, through Friday, June 10, to delve into transportation, connections with the natural world, the value of human well-being and security and social and physical mobility.

These topics and more comprise the fourth annual conference of the Integrated Network for Social Sustainability (INSS). With a theme of “Communities and Connections,” the conference is open to the public at no charge, but registrations are requested.

Through the combined efforts of more than 75 volunteers, several truckloads of trash and recyclables were disposed safely via the recent spring campus cleanup.

“Campus cleanup provides us with the perfect opportunity to put the University’s commitment to being stewards of the environment into action” said Tyler Sytsma, University sustainability coordinator.

Each semester, the Facilities Management Office coordinates the campus cleanup, and employees receive release time to volunteer. Roughly 150 pounds of trash and recyclables were collected during this semester’s event.