Emory University strives to integrate sustainability into every aspect of student life. Find resources, events, and opportunities to learn, lead, and live a sustainable life at Emory.
Acknowledging the ancestral peoples and land
Emory’s Office of Sustainability Initiatives acknowledges the Muscogee (Creek) people who lived, worked, produced knowledge on, and nurtured the land where Emory’s Oxford and Atlanta campuses are now located. The Muscogee people were forcibly removed from states like Georgia and Alabama during the Trail of Tears relocation (1830-1838), a shameful part of our history when the federal government forced Indigenous peoples across the region to leave their ancestral homes. In 1836, Emory University was founded on part of this land. It is important for us to acknowledge, honor, and respect the land we now call home; to further recognize the inherent intersections between Indigenous rights, sustainability, and the environment; and to continue to strive for justice and recognition for Indigenous communities.
Read Emory’s official Land Acknowledgement and learn more here.
GET INVOLVED
- Prepare for your first year with our Sustainability Orientation guides for Undergraduates, Graduate & Professional Students, and Oxford College.
- Take the Sustainability Pledge. It’s quick, easy — and demonstrates your commitment to living green!
- Be a sustainability leader through internships, clubs, and volunteer opportunities. Learn more about former OSI interns who were chosen two years in a row as Emory’s Student Employee of the Year in 2018 and 2019.
- Need funding for a sustainable idea on campus? Apply for one of OSI’s Incentives Funds.
- Check out our Events Calendar for upcoming events on campus.
KEEP IT SUSTAINABLE
- Find out how to recycle and compost on campus, and how you can help us achieve zero landfill waste as a Zero Waste Ambassador.
- Enjoy locally and sustainably sourced food in campus cafes and coffee shops and learn to grow your own food in the Educational Gardens on campus.
- Opt for greener transportation to, from, and around campus.
LEARN MORE
- Undergraduate and graduate students have many opportunities to take sustainability courses; pursue sustainability minors, concentrations, certificates and degrees; and contribute to sustainability-related research at Emory.
- Get more details by reading the Emory Sustainability Vision and Strategic Plan.
- Emory is implementing multi-faceted, evidence-based climate solutions on campus. Learn more about the institution’s work and ways to contribute individually. Find some current student perspectives here.
- Sign up for the Office of Sustainability e-newsletter; follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Helpful Documents and Links for Current and Prospective Students
| Title | Initiative | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-2023 OSI Combined Incentives Funds Application | This year, all Incentives Funds applicants should use this application to apply for General Sustainability & Social Justice, Green Labs, and Green Offices Incentives Fund small grants. These three Funds are intended to support supports research, project implementation, and the development of new rituals to promote sustainability and social justice on Emory’s campuses and healthcare spaces. All faculty, staff, and students at Emory – including Emory Healthcare and Oxford College – are eligible to apply for funding. Team applications are encouraged. All student applications must include approval from a faculty advisor. Applications are open and well close Monday, September 26, 2022, at 8 am. | ||
| Emory University 2018 Waste Policy FAQs | Waste | Documents & Reports, Guides | The Emory Waste Policy was developed by Emory’s Waste Think Tank, made up of experts in a variety of Emory departments, and is supported by the President’s Leadership Council, the University Senate, and unit Deans. The policy is being jointly implemented by Campus Services and the Office of Sustainability Initiatives. |
| Graduate and Professional Student Sustainability Guide 2022 | |||
| How to Recycle and Compost at Emory University | Waste | Videos | Dawn Francis-Chewning’s video shows how easy it is to recycle common recyclables and hard-to-recycle materials at Emory. Dawn is an Educational Analyst at LITS Student Digital Life, and her video “Emory’s Sustainable Waste Streams” won third place in the Emory Office of Sustainability Initiatives Waste Video Competition. |
| Oxford Student Sustainability Guide 2022 | |||
| Recycling and Composting at Emory University | Waste | Guides | Landfills have negative social, economic, and environmental impacts on neighboring lower-income, historically disadvantaged communities. Landfills contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and can leak harmful toxins into the surrounding environment. Learn about recycling and composting at Emory with this helpful brochure! |
| Student Sustainability Showcase Virtual Guide Spring 2021 | Academics, Climate Solutions, Food & Dining, Social Justice, Transportation, Waste, Water, Wellbeing | Guides | Use this virtual guide to explore opportunities to get involved with sustainability at Emory, then pursue those which most interest you. Take part in our campus culture of sustainability by participating in an OSI program, joining a sustainability-related student organization, and/or exploring Emory's academic offerings in the disciplines of the environment and sustainability! |
| Sustainability Minor at Emory University Brochure | All Initiatives | Documents & Reports | The prevailing theoretical model of sustainability defines it as the intersection of the social, the environmental, and the economic. Sustainability thus implies a radical interdisciplinary of the kind generally hailed as the academic model of the future. |
| Undergraduate Student Sustainability Guide 2022 | |||
| Zero Waste Ambassadors Charge Fall 2022- Spring 2023 | Waste | Documents & Reports | The ZWAs are a group of student, faculty, and staff volunteers, who are actively willing to champion waste management and reduction in all areas of the Emory experience. They strive to promote a culture at Emory that prioritizes reducing and diverting waste in all decisions that we make as individuals and as a community. You can read more about specific goals of the program this year in the charge. |