Sustainability practices at North Carolina A&T University

Background/Question/Methods

The focus of this paper is on recycling aspect of sustainability at North Carolina A&T State University. Are universities doing enough to advance sustainability? Universities play a significant role in promoting several aspects of sustainability including recycling, energy, climate change, transportation, water use, waste management and education. These aspects of sustainability are used by UI Green Metric for world university sustainability rankings.  The rankings help universities put in place sustainability policies that protect the environment. Recycling assessment, a key aspect of sustainability was conducted on campus to determine the recycling knowledge of students, faculty and staff. The assessment includes visual inspection of containers and interview of students, faculty and staff. Detailed interview and visual inspection data were recorded.

Results/Conclusions

Visual inspection data analysis indicate that some recycling containers have no labels and instructions. Interview data analysis confirms that many students, faculty and staff could benefit from recycling education. Sustainability practices at North Carolina A&T State University are accomplished through education, physical plant operations and sustainable agriculture practices. Sustainability education is under the leadership of the Interdisciplinary Waste Management Institute (WMI), Center for Energy Research and Training (CERT) and Energy and Environmental Systems (EES). Data on visual inspection, interviews, policy, campus infrastructure, climate change, reduced energy use, alternative transportation, reduced water use, waste reduction and education will be presented. Recycling assessment data will be used to improve campus recycling. The 2013 UI Green Metric World Ranking of university sustainability lists North Carolina A&T State University at number 10 overall out of 301 universities that participated in the online survey. Universities have a crucial role to play in addressing sustainability challenges.