I go green because it is an easy, cost-efficient way to preserve our environment, sustain valuable resources, and encourage eco-friendly communities on a local and national level.

What has been your experience with Baylor Sustainability?

My experience with Baylor Sustainability was intellectually stimulating, intrinsically rewarding, and overall a lot of fun! Each day provided a new opportunity to learn and promote new and important facts that could benefit the Baylor campus and beyond. I found it was easy to take home and apply many of these to my own life.

What would you say to other students about going green at Baylor?

I would tell other students at Baylor that going green is much easier than typically thought; something as simple as turning off a computer monitor or taking the Baylor bus as an alternative to driving can potentially save hundreds of dollars per year. Going green saves green, requires little effort, and helps us serve as good stewards to the Earth that God has given us.

Low Impact Living

Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Earth Day Network

Ten Ways Faculty Can Go Green at Baylor

Latest News

The Chi Omega sorority and Baylor Sustainability worked together to make their recent social event, Chi Omega Crush, the first ever green Greek event held by a Baylor organization. Click here to read more!

Record Breaking Move-In
by Smith Getterman

Baylor's Sustainability efforts got off to a record breaking start with a very successful recycling effort during Move-In 2009. Thanks to the help of over thirty student volunteers from the Entrepreneurship ELG program and partners from departments all across Baylor's campus, 10.6 tons of recycling were collected in the two days of move-in.

Compared to efforts of last year, Baylor Sustainability was able to capture 3,000 extra pounds of recycling waste. That's 3,000 extra pounds that has been prevented from entering local landfills!

This record breaking move-in has helped Baylor have its most successful summer of recycling, ever. Even with the great success of 2009, improvements are already being looked at for Move-In 2010. Thanks to everyone that participated in Move-In 2009 for helping us make it as green as it can be!

What Is Baylor Sustainability?
by Christina Jeffrey

Baylor Sustainability is the premier campus department dedicated to the preservation of natural resources and the conservation of energy within our local environment. Ultimately, Sustainability aims to inspire the long-term maintenance of the Earth's wellbeing by promoting eco-friendly ways of life that ensure our surroundings with the capacity to endure. This maintenance includes finding new ways to use less energy, minimize waste, promote zero emission transportation, and utilize opportunities to recycle. Sound a little audacious? Don't worry, the Baylor Sustainability Department facilitates all of these efforts by bringing them to the most important person: You.

Click here to read more!

Features

The Fall 2009 edition of Perspectives, Baylor University's newsletter for parents, features an article about Baylor's ever-improving recycling efforts. Click here to read it.

Fall Volunteer Opportunities

There are lots of ways to get involved with the campus sustainability efforts. Here is just a brief listing of some of the great ways you can volunteer your time to help the Baylor community "Go Green!"

Baylor Sustainability would like to extend a special thank you to the men of Alpha Tau Omega for volunteering their time to help make Baylor a greener place during the University of Texas game. Thank you ATO!

Truett Seminary Earns International Environmental Certification

Baylor University has become the first university in Texas to earn a coveted environmental rating by meeting stringent standards set out by an international building council.

Baylor's George W. Truett Theological Seminary has been certified by the U.S. Green Building Council in its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program in the category for existing buildings.

The 66,000-square-foot structure also was only two points away from snaring a "silver" rating, a notch above certification, said Don Bagby, Baylor's director of facilities management. Buildings may earn additional points to achieve silver, gold or platinum status, he said.

"This is great," Bagby said. "To be so close to silver at our first shot was exciting, and also to be the first university to get the certification in the existing building category."

Truett is the fifth Texas building to get the LEED certification for existing buildings. Internationally, 235 buildings have earned the rating, said Ashley Katz, communications manager for the Washington-based council, a nonprofit organization.

In a separate category for new construction, 1,749 buildings internationally have earned certification, she said.

A LEED certification is more difficult for an existing building to earn than for a new structure, since many buildings now are built to be environmentally friendly and energy efficient, said Steve Guenther, associate vice president for operational excellence with ARAMARK Higher Education. ARAMARK, a Fortune 500 company, addresses issues of environmental stewardship and employee advocacy.

"The great thing about this was validating that good practices are already at Baylor," Guenther said.