Programs
Zero Waste
Zero Waste is eliminating waste at its sources, and at every step along the supply chain, from product selection and design to producer responsibility and waste reduction strategies at the end of the supply chain such as reuse, recycling and composting.
The Zero Waste Program includes UGA's Waste Reduction Services Unit (rebranded from Sanitation in November of 2022), our Campus Compost Program, and our Zero Waste student initiatives like the Swap Shop, Zero Waste Events and Zero Waste Athletics initiatives.
Waste Reduction Services
UGAs Waste Reduction Services team is an operational unit of the Office of Sustainability and is responsible for managing all waste handling and transportation.
UGA Campus Compost
UGA student interns pick up and promote composting at approximately 70 academic and residential buildings on campus using electric trikes.
Swap Shop
The UGA Swap Shop creates a location to donate, exchange and trade gently used goods to create material circularity.
Biodiversity and Landscape
Building and transforming the campus landscape into spaces that demonstrate ecological
diversity, restoration and community well-being.
The Biodiversity and Landscape program partners with UGA's Grounds department on three
model projects that are national models: our urban forest Arboretum, Campus Pollinator
Program, and the new Green Zone program launched in 2023. The adoption of innovative
tools and technies such as GIS based mapping, data collection and storage, low impact
technologies and techniques are a focal point of the program.
Campus Arboretum
UGA's Campus Arboretum elevates and promotes the nearly 10,000 trees that make up the UGA campus as an experiential learning and well-being resource to be enjoyed and utilized by the UGA/Athens community.
UGA Pollinator Project
The Pollinator Project promotes pollinator well-being through habitat enhancement, education, outreach, research, & collaborative projects among students, faculty, staff and the community.
UGA Green Zone
UGA's Green Zone is a new area on campus in which UGA is piloting the use of electric only landscaping equipment such as mowers, blowers and trimmers to reduce emissions, noise, and improve air quality.
Experiential Learning
Creating inspired leaders through hands-on, action oriented processes where learners become leaders confident to take action towards sustainable change.
The best way to learn how to make our communities , our society and our lives more sustainable is by experiencing it directly, actively engaging in working collaboratively with others to identify and implement sustainable solutions. Our Experiential Learning programs include the UGA Living Lab, our Internship program and our Sustainability Certificate.
Sustainability Certificate
The Sustainability Certificate Program equips students with critical skills to address local and global sustainability challenges through real-world solutions.
OoS Internship Program
UGA has one of the most robust sustainability internship programs in the nation. 30+ interns advance and lead sustainability initiatives that address UGA's top sustainability priorities.
UGA Living Lab
UGA's Living Lab initiative aims to create sustainable solutions to campus challenges through collaboration between operational staff and faculty and students.
Clean Energy and Climate Solutions
Advancing UGA operations that transition to cleaner energy sources and reduce climate emissions while building metrics and geospatial data competencies that track program success.
The Clean Energy and Climate Solutions Program officially launched in 2023 shortly after UGA hosted the Georgia Climate Conference in May of that year. Implementation of clean energy operations at UGA such as fleet electrification and adoption of solar technology will reduce greenhouse gas emissions while training students for a rapidly transitioning job market requiring new skills in data tracking, analysis and visualization. UGA strives to be a statewide leader in adopting the technologies of the future and partnering with our research community to demonstrate how to track performance and utilize data driven solutions to achieve outcomes of long lasting benefit.
Student Engagement and Leadership
Creating inspired leaders through hands-on, action oriented processes where learners become leaders confident to take action towards sustainable change.
Food Systems
Engaging and training students to understand and actively participate in the support of food systems that sustain the natural systems upon which we all depend, and to seek food security and justice for all members of one’s community.
As one of Georgia’s two land grant colleges and universities, UGA has a deep history and critical role in spreading knowledg e, research and community service to local communities, especially in regards to innovations in farming and food justice.