Sustainable Living on Georgia Tech's Campus

on behalf of the SGA Sustainability Committee

What is sustainability?

The present generation living in such a manner that allows them to meet societal demands and fulfill their potential without hindering future generations from doing the same.

Why is sustainability important?

• Preserving the present while looking to the future • Environmentally responsible: being conservation-

minded; good stewardship of natural and human resources

 • Economically responsible and smart: forward-

looking and accounting for externalities • Socially responsible: sustainability eliminates

issues of inequality and injustice   

Major areas of sustainability• Food

o Providing it in an economically viable, socially fair, and environmentally sound manner to everyone

• Transportationo Reducing dependency on oil and our carbon footprint

• Energy usageo  Socially and financially sound  electric technology that

doesn't pollute• Water usage 

o Using our "next most precious resource" wisely• Waste reduction

o Not just recycling, but reducing and reusing• Informed consumption (social awareness)

Food Choices• More local and organic available in Student Center

Food Court and dining halls than ever before

• Vegetarian/vegan options available

• Farmer's Market & Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)

• Community Garden on campus

Composting

• Composting on campus: Extensive Composting by GT dining through contractor GreenCo

• GreenCo provides compost for TBD and composts at football games

• Problem with composting: contamination fines• Some students do participate but Tech is currently

lacking a more streamlined approach to composting• Contact: Nell Fry 

Composting facility outside of Woodruff Dining Hall

Recycling

• Extremely active and enthusiastic Recycling Department in Facilities

• Progress limited by financial and staff restrictions despite desire to expand

•  Currently: expanding Game Day Recycling  and Greek recycling programs

• Student body looking for more ways/opportunities to recycle

Bicycling

•  Increasingly popular way to get around campus • Major Student Concerns: Bike Lanes, Bike Racks,

safety and security• Starter Bikes: GT's own bicycle co-op; partnership

with SOS and ABC• ViaCycle: ME project (www.viacycle.com)• Honors Program Bike Sharing (has potential, but not

being widely used) • Atlanta Bike Shops: Intown Bicycles (near Piedmont

Park)

Public Transportation

• Use MARTA to get around the city• GT transportation can take many places, such as:

o Midtown MARTA stationo Publixo Emoryo Atlantic Station

• GT transportation runs on clean diesel• Carpooling incentives

Academics on Sustainability

• Over 100 classes spread over every school and college on 

    campus are sustainability-focused • 21 Endowed Chairs with Sustainability focus

 • 23 Research Centers with Sustainability focus

 • Lecture series: Open Forum on Energy and the

Environment (http://www.chbe.gatech.edu/energyforum/; Clean Energy Speaker Series (www.secleanenergy.org)

What is being done for sustainability on a campus-wide level

• All future buildings must be LEED Gold certified and renovations must be LEED-EB

• Cistern at CULC Building• A- on Green Report Card• Zero net energy research building in future• Green purchasing policy• Low-flow toilets and sinks

Simple Sustainability Practices You Can Do Every Day• Recycling• Turning off unnecessary lights and unplugging unused

electrical appliances• Adjusting your thermostat away from temperature

extremes• Composting• Reducing consumption• Reusing old supplies and materials and repurposing

discarded or used objects• Raising awareness and encouraging sustainable living

to those around you

GT Sustainability Administration People to Know• Cindy Jackson-Office of Waste Management and

Recycling: Cindy.Jackson@facilities.gatech.edu • Marcia Kinstler-Director of Environmental

Stewardship: marcia.kinstler@business.gatech.edu• Nell Fry- Sustainability Coordinator of Georgia Tech

Dining Services: nell.fry@sodexo.com • Maria Linderoth- Program Coordinator for Recycling-

Maria.Linderoth@facilities.gatech.edu 

Sustainability Student Organizations

• SOS-Molly McLaughlin:molly@gatech.eduo Community Gardeno De facto sustainability leaders on campus

• Environmental Alliance Georgia Tech (EAGT)- Nicole Caruso ncaruso3@gatech.edu

• Starter Bikes- Gretchen Goldman: gretchen.goldman@ce.gatech.edu

• SGA Sustainability Committee-Tomás León tomas.leon@gatech.edu; Joe Charbonnet joecharbonnet@gmail.com

• Students for Progressive Transit- Amy Ingles aingles3@gatech.edu • Engineers without Borders• Engineers for a Sustainable World- new student organization

(www.eswusa.org)