Florida Atlantic is one of several institutions of higher education in the state that have some sustainability efforts either at the administrative level, or from students, or both.<\/p>\n
Experts say those efforts are especially important for the long-term and short-term health of the institution. Representatives from the University of Florida, University of South Florida, and University of Miami all touted those efforts on their respective campuses; however, the University Press did not receive a response from FAU\u2019s Media Relations and other in-state universities in time for publication.<\/p>\n
\u201cSustainability isn\u2019t just the right thing to do; it\u2019s also smart business,\u201d said Julian Dautremont<\/a>, Director of Programs for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). \u201cBy prioritizing sustainability, institutions can contribute to key goals such as boosting revenue and enrollment, while preparing students to help solve society\u2019s greatest challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n Florida Atlantic University<\/p>\n While FAU does not have an Office of Sustainability, they do have the School of Environmental, Coastal, and Ocean Sustainability (ECOS). According to FAU<\/a>, ECOS is a partnership established in 2023 between the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science and Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute (HBOI) that supports environmental research and community-focused projects.<\/p>\n The student-run Sustainability Club<\/a> focuses on environmental protection and advocacy. The club partners with campus sorority chapters, including Sigma Delta Tau<\/a> and Theta Phi Alpha<\/a>, to help protect coastal areas near campus.<\/p>\n One key accomplishment last year was the club clearing paths on the Tortuga Trail, a nature trail on the Boca Raton Campus near Parking Lot 5. This simultaneously protects the trail and makes it more accessible for students, said Sustainability Club Vice President Julianna Anderson.<\/p>\n Looking ahead, one of the Sustainability Club\u2019s main goals is to bring composting bins to campus next year. \u201cIt will require administrative approval and strong student support, but we believe it would be a major step forward for waste reduction at FAU,\u201d Anderson wrote in an April 27 email to the University Press.<\/p>\n Yalan Liu, a professor in the university\u2019s Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geomatics Engineering, said data, convenient and consistent infrastructure, waste reduction, and accountability are all vital for a sustainability program.<\/p>\n \u201cSustainability should include waste reduction, not just recycling,\u201d Liu wrote in an Apr. 27 email. \u201cThat means reducing single-use materials where possible, encouraging reusable items, improving purchasing practices, recovering or donating usable materials, managing food waste and organics, and diverting construction and demolition debris when campus buildings are renovated or built.\u201d<\/p>\n Waste reduction is also a mission<\/a> for the Atlantic Dining Hall. According to FAU Dining Services\u2019 website, they manage their waste streams in each of their dining facilities to reduce waste to landfills as much as possible, such as offering Fair Trade Certified food and beverage items, buying local products, and reducing the use of single-use plastics in their facilities.<\/p>\n University of Florida<\/p>\n UF had a sustainability office for almost 20 years before its closure in 2025, according to the Alligator<\/a>, and staff therein led recycling, energy conservation, and dining hall sustainability programs.<\/p>\n According to their UF Facilities and Services website<\/a>, UF has achieved a university-wide recycling rate of 55%, 80% of their primary campus electric consumption is green power, while student enrollment increased by 19% over 17 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s essential to have an Office of Sustainability to create strategy, data collection, reporting, develop partnerships, engage the campus, and much more,\u201d said Nathan Jandl, Director of Sustainability and Carbon Solutions at the University of California at Berkeley. \u201cWithout dedicated staff and leadership, the progress will simply not be made.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Campus spokesperson Emma Smith wrote in a June 10 email that the university still has the same principles embedded across campus even in the absence of an Office of Sustainability.<\/p>\n \u201cSustainability at UF is not limited to a single office; it is a set of guiding principles incorporated across the institution,\u201d says Smith.<\/p>\n Florida State University<\/p>\n According to FSU\u2019s Sustainable Campus<\/a>, the program encourages students, faculty, and staff to participate in conservation efforts on campus.<\/p>\n According to their website, FSU is the single largest solar energy consumer in the city of Tallahassee. The Sustainability Hub in the Seminole Organic Garden, which is used for classes, workshops, and other events, is powered by 12 solar panels.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sustainable Campus also supports FSU\u2019s Green Fund, which is a grant program for campus sustainability projects. However, according to the Sustainable Campus website, FSU\u2019s last reported Green Fund project was in Fall 2021 on the sustainable disposal of single-use lab plastics.\u00a0<\/p>\n University of Miami\u00a0<\/p>\n The University of Miami\u2019s sustainability office, \u201cGreen U,\u201d currently has two Gold ratings, one valid through July 9, 2027, and the other through June 15, 2028. \u201cThere are so many ways to tackle sustainability, so we try to do it,\u201d said Green U Sustainability Director Teddy Lhoutellier. \u201cWe need to understand that everything we do is for the sake of the future.\u201d<\/p>\n He added that while there are financial challenges, that doesn\u2019t stop them from taking on projects, for example, composting.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe found out that composting facilities and companies in our region are doing it [composting] at a very competitive price,\u201d said Lhoutellier. \u201cHowever, it is the right thing to do.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n University of South Florida\u00a0<\/p>\n USF hasn\u2019t had an Office of Sustainability since 2022; however, according to Kebreab Ghebremichael, who was the director of the office for three years and is currently the director of Water Sustainability, it remains important for the university.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were hiring students and had student groups to organize different sustainability initiatives,\u201d Ghebremichael says. \u201cWe were also reaching out to professors to help.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Despite Ghebremichael saying sustainability initiatives and collaboration with faculty have been on the decline, they have multiple initiatives<\/a>, including the Student Green Energy Fund (SGEF), which generates a million dollars a year for student-led projects, according to Ghebremichael.\u00a0<\/p>\n Ghebremichael says that while the current generation can enjoy the resources from the planet, the next generation must enjoy them the same way.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIf we are taking up everything now, and if we are dumping a lot of pollution into the soil, the water to the atmosphere, the capacity of the planet to provide as a service, or to get what we want, will diminish,\u201d said Ghebremichael.<\/p>\n Anthony Ortiz is a Reporter for the University Press. For more information regarding this or other stories, email him at [email\u00a0protected]<\/a> or DM him on Instagram @ajortiz_38.<\/p>\n