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.

Baylor Campus Kitchen

Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Earth Day Network

Ten Ways Faculty Can Go Green at Baylor

Latest News

Two of the most horrifying movies this year don't involve ghosts, serial killers or deranged Nazis. They're documentaries. In fact, The Cove, directed by Louie Psihoyos, and Food, Inc. directed by Robert Kenner, are both up for an Oscar this Sunday in the Documentary – Feature category. Click here for more on these two Oscar nominated documentaries!

Sing! Goes Green
by Joey Darwish

All-University Sing, one of Baylor's most exciting and competitive traditions, has made its way back to Waco Hall, a theatre that seats around 2200 people. In the 57 years since Sing began, the competition has undergone many changes, from the addition of Pigskin to the incorporation of dance and backdrops into the acts.

For the 2010 festivities, Sing is going a step further. Sing has partnered with the Baylor Sustainability Department in an effort to try and be greener. Click here to read more!

Baylor Greek Organization Goes Green
by Smith Getterman

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!

Click here to read previous news articles.

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.

Bearathon Goes Cupless
by Smith Getterman

Baylor University's Student Foundation is taking major steps to make this year's Bearathon a more sustainable event. The headlining change to this year's change is StuFu's decision to make the half-marathon a totally cupless event! Last year, an estimated 28,200 cups were used and with participation expected to nearly double this year, that cup total was also expected to double. Each registered participant will receive a free Hydrapouch to use throughout the course of the race.

Keep checking back here for up to date information on how the Bearathon and the rest of the day's events are going green. Check out the Bearathon website for more event specific information, as well as for more information about the Hydrapouch.

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.