PARTNER OFFICES
.png)
Duke Office of Sustainability
Duke University seeks to attain and maintain a place of leadership in all that we do. This includes leadership in environmental stewardship and sustainability on our campus, in our medical institutions, and in the broader community.
In 2011, the Camus Sustainability Committee expanded on the goals sets in the Climate Action Plan by developing the Sustainability Strategic Plan (SSP). The SSP assesses the baseline and develops targets for other elements of campus sustainability such as water, waste and recycling, food, procurement, and natural resources.
Goals
-
Emissions: Aggressively pursue carbon neutrality in 2024 and beyond through a combination of direct emission reduction strategies and carbon offsets.
-
Energy: Achieve a 20% reduction in energy use in buildings built prior to Duke's 2009 Climate Action Plan by 2030 while maximizing opportunities for building energy efficiency and low carbon construction of new buildings.
-
Buildings: Ensure all new construction and major renovations comply with Duke's High Performance Building Framework and meet campus goals for energy and water efficiency.
-
Water: Focus water-reduction strategies on the top 20 water-consuming buildings, which account for 70% of water use on campus.
-
Natural Resources: Ensure that buildings, landscapes, and natural areas are created and sustained to create a campus community that conserves natural resources, restores environmental quality, and protects biodiversity.
-
Food: Create a model food campus that is health-promoting, ecologically minded, resilient, diverse, fair, economically balanced, and transparent.
-
Transportation: Explore and implement opportunities to reduce barriers to alternative transportation modes and reduce the campus drive-alone rate.
-
Waste and Recycling: Create meaningful targets for waste diversion and reduce overall campus waste stream.
-
Procurement: Revise Duke's current environmentally preferable purchasing policy to make it more accessible and useful for campus purchasers while exploring opportunities to further green Duke's supply chain.
-
Education: Incorporate sustainability into the depth and breadth of every student's experience by including core concepts of sustainability in every applicable field and research opportunity and by using the campus as a living laboratory.
-
Communication: Enhance understanding and foster changes in behavior among members of the Duke community that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Students can also contact Rebecca Hoeffler for more information: sustainability@duke.edu
.png){kind=small}
.png)
.png)
Trash and Recycling
Stewardship of the environment is an important part of what we do in Facilities Management. Through Duke Recycles, Duke diverts a variety of traditional recyclables, like magazines or aluminum, as well as many non-traditional recyclables, such as food compost, motor oil and tires from the Durham landfill every year. Duke Recycles functions as the information center for waste management and reduction initiatives and inquiries.
Services
-
Mini-Bin Program
Duke has introduced a desk-side/mini-bin program to divert more recyclables away from the landfill. In this system, the larger blue bin is for mixed recyclable material, and the smaller black attachment is for trash. Users are asked to empty their individual containers into a larger, centralized one as needed.
-
Move In
When students move into their dorms each fall, Duke Recycles collects vast quantities of cardboard boxes from across campus. Prior to students' arrival, Duke Recycles, sets up cardboard-collection areas outside each dorm. During the two-week period of student move-in, Duke Recycles services the corrals and recycles the cardboard.
-
Move-Out for Charity
Each spring, for the two-week period of move-out, Duke Recycles partners with TROSA and Goodwill to accept donations of clothes, shoes, furniture, appliances and many other vital resources. Items students contribute during this period are redistributed to the local community through the partner organizations.
-
K-Ville Campout
Duke Recycles provides recycling bins outside Cameron Indoor Stadium for die-hard fans living in tents to secure tickets for Duke home basketball games.
-
Special Events Recycling
Recycling and/or compost bins can be provided to accommodate any special event that may be taking place on campus.
-
Clean-Out Bins
High-volume recycling bins are available by request for clean-outs, faculty retirements and/or intra-campus moves.
Education and Outreach
-
Zero Waste Game Day
In 2014, Duke Athletics, in partnership with Duke Recycles and Sustainable Duke, launched the Zero Waste Game Day program to achieve 90% or greater diversion of all waste generated at each home football game. This goal is accomplished through widespread recycling, composting and waste reduction programs across all active areas on game day -- including the stadium concourse and bowl, Blue Devil Tower, tailgate lots and K-ville. Vendors inside the stadium have made substantial efforts to switch their packaging to recyclable and compostable alternatives. Successful awareness and education initiatives include Athletics account social media takeovers, volunteers distributing bag wraps through tailgating areas and educators posted at each waste station on the concourse to help fans sort their waste. In the 2015 season, Duke became the first school in the ACC to achieve zero waste on a game day with a 94% diversion during the University of Pittsburgh game. Zero Waste Game Day continues to improve each year, with the ultimate goal of consistently reaching 90% diversion.
-
Campus Sustainability Committee
The Campus Sustainability Committee (CSC), is a standing committee appointed by the university President. It is responsible for making recommendations to guide campus sustainability policies, championing Duke's sustainability initiatives and communicating them to each member's respective constituencies, in order to foster a more sustainable campus community. The committee is comprised of students, faculty and administration.
Students can also contact Morgan Bachman for more information: morgan.bachman@duke.edu
If you're interested in an Energy education in any capacity then check out the Energy Initiative. If you're looking for course options at the intersection of Energy and the Environment, opportunities to participate in and conduct research, extracurricular opportunities in Energy, and/or internships or career opportunities in the energy sector, check out their website or sign up for their newsletter.
Students can also contact Stacy Peterson for more information: stacy.peterson@duke.edu
.png)
Duke Energy Initiative
Energy is essential to our quality of life and to human development globally. Yet, meeting energy needs reliably while improving environmental quality remains one of the greatest challenges for this century.
The Duke University Energy Initiative is a university-wide, interdisciplinary collaboration focused on advancing an accessible, affordable, reliable, and clean energy system. The Initiative reaches across business, engineering, environment, law, policy, and the arts and sciences to educate tomorrow’s energy innovators, develop new solutions through research, and improve energy decisions by engaging business and government leaders.
.png){kind=small}
.png){kind=small}
.png)
.jpeg)
Duke Campus Farm
The Duke Campus Farm is a one-acre, working farm that provides sustainably grown produce and food systems education for Duke and its surrounding communities.
Sarah P. Duke Gardens
Duke Gardens is a botanic garden on Duke's campus, dedicated in 1939, that is free and open to the public. Our mission is to nurture an environment for learning, inspiration and enjoyment through excellence in horticulture and community engagement. We host over 600,000 visitors each year, and engage thousands of them through facilitated programming including horticultural classes, school field trips, academic collaborations, public festivals, exhibits, and more.
We intersect with students in many ways. The Gardens is often used for studying, exercising, or relaxing. We also work with faculty and students to use the Gardens as a site for learning in classes and other academic pursuits. Some students volunteer with us in visitor services, education, and horticulture. We also offer work-study positions in horticulture, education, and occasionally other areas like development.
More information about possibilities for academic collaborations -- which includes specialized class tours or lectures, being a client for students in project-based classes, being a site for research, being an outdoor place to host classes on a nice day, and more -- is available here on our website. I'm the contact person for that, and I'm also happy to direct any questions from students to my colleagues if it's not something I coordinate.
More information about volunteering is available here on our website.
.png)
.png)
2.jpg)
Duke Forest
The mission of the Duke Forest is to facilitate research that addresses fundamental and applied questions across a variety of disciplines and to aid in the instruction of all students in their pursuit of knowledge, especially regarding the stewardship of our natural resources.
Duke Forests are 7,050 acres of lush forest and biodiversity located in Orange, Durham, and Alamance Counties across 6 divisions and one dedicated natural area: Durham, Korstian, Blackwood, Hillsboro, Edeburn, Dailey, and the Oosting Natural Area.
An Incredible Duke University Asset
Social and Educational Significance of the Forest
-
A microcosm of the Piedmont’s human past and an opportunity to reflect on that influence today.
-
Part of the origin story of Duke University and the School of Forestry/Nicholas School of the Environment.
-
A living laboratory for research across many disciplines with a variety of established sites to host experiments.
-
An ideal setting for long‐term ecological research with opportunity to build off data collection begun in the 1930s.
-
An exceptional location as an outdoor classroom for universities and local schools to teach a wide range of topics.
-
A resource for recreation and aesthetic enjoyment of natural spaces for the University and public community.
Ecological and Environmental Significance of the Forest
-
An ongoing experiment to understand how our human history has shaped the NC Piedmont and how it will continue to shape its future.
-
A vast area of diverse habitats supporting plants, wildlife, and ecosystem services otherwise disrupted or lost in our developed landscape.
-
A major anchor of landscape connectivity that facilitates interconnections of green space and wildlife corridors across the larger region.
-
An example of truly renewable resource extraction through the lens of timber management.
Economic and Financial Significance of the Forest
-
A revenue generator that supports operation of the Forest as a multifaceted resource for a variety of audiences through the responsible production of timber.
-
An asset that directly reaps financial benefits for Duke University and indirectly for the community in its primary function as Duke’s largest living laboratory, cumulatively worth tens of millions of dollars.
-
A player in the local economy, employing contractors and others to support management of the Duke Forest.
A Duke Forest Bulletin
Fall 2019
Information for Students
.png)
Sustainable Dining
Duke Dining recognizes that the modern food system often pursues efficiencies and profit at the expense of environmental health, community well-being, and fair economic relationships. Faced with this reality, we eagerly take on the role of potential catalyst in this system.
Duke Dining has worked purposefully to fully understand all the issues that make up a sustainable dining program. In addition to setting a standard for purchasing locally, we also prioritize the purchase of products that are organic, humanely raised, fairly grown, and responsibly fished.
.png)
Sustainable Dining Practices
Health & Wellness
-
100% ban on trans fats at all Duke Dining locations
-
Nutritious alternatives to sugary beverages (i.e. water, teas, and flavored water) prioritized in the Marketplace and Brodhead Center dining facilities
-
“Balance Your Plate” nutritious meal options featured at every meal
Reusable Mug Program
-
THIS PROGRAM HAS BEEN SUSPENDED TO PROTECT THE HEALTHY SAFETY OF OUR TEAM MEMBERS.
-
Customers who bring their own reusable cup* to any Duke Dining location receive a 20 percent discount on brewed coffee or fountain beverage.
-
*Reusable cups cannot exceed 16 ounces. The discount does not apply to specialty beverages.
-
Climate Friendly Menus
-
Meatless Monday program available at every Duke Dining location
-
Vegetarian and vegan entrees offered at every meal, every day in the Marketplace and Brodhead Center dining facilities
Trayless Dining
-
Marketplace, Duke Dining’s first-year dining hall and the campus’ only all-you-care-to-eat location, is 100 percent tray-less.
-
Tray-less dining saves water, energy, and reduces food waste. It saves water and energy by reducing the number of extraneous dishes that need to be washed.
-
It also reduces food waste because trays, as a product of their convenience, tends to encourage diners to fill the entire tray with stacks of plates of food, and in most cases, they don't eat everything they've taken and end up throwing it out. Over time, the environmental—and economic—savings of tray-less dining add up every meal!
Styrofoam Ban
-
No Duke Dining location uses Styrofoam to-go containers
-
In campus locations where composting is readily accessible (Marketplace and the Brodhead Center), compostable to-go containers are prioritized.
Facilities
-
Marketplace, Duke Dining’s East Campus dining facility, was renovated in 2015. During the renovation, Marketplace was outfitted with energy efficient lighting and equipment. Additionally, the facility features an indoor green wall, which improves the dining hall’s indoor air quality.
-
Duke Dining’s newest facility, the Brodhead Center, was constructed to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver requirements.
.png)
Nicholas School of the Environment
The Nicholas School celebrates its creation date as 1991, but it represents a coming together of three entities that are almost as old as the university itself. The School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and the Duke University Marine Lab (both formed in 1938) came together in 1991 to become the School of the Environment, which was named the Nicholas School of the Environment in 1995 following a $20 million gift from Peter M. and Ginny Nicholas of Boston. In 1997, the Department of Geology (formed in 1936) joined the school as the Division of Earth and Ocean Sciences and focuses on a number of areas at the intersection of earth and environmental sciences.
Creating Knowledge
We create knowledge through basic, applied, and multidisciplinary research in the relevant physical, life, and social sciences designed to expand our understanding of the Earth and its environment.
Creating Global Leaders
We develop leadership through:
-
An undergraduate academic program designed to spread understanding of the Earth and the environmental ethic to a new cadre of Duke graduates
-
A professional masters program that trains a new breed of environmental professionals working in the public, private, and non-profit sectors with the skills needed to devise and implement effective environmental policies and practices
-
A Ph.D. program dedicated to adding to a new generation of world-class scientists, researchers, and educators in the environment
Forging a Sustainable Future
We strategically focus the intellectual resources and capital amassed in research and education to address three of the most challenging environmental issues confronting society:
-
Climate and Energy
-
Terrestrial and Marine Ecosystems
-
Human Health and the Environment