Ten years after the Sustainability Coalition was formed at UNC-Chapel Hill, sustainable policies, practices, and curricula are infused throughout the campus. Thousands of students, staff, faculty and administrators routinely incorporate sustainability principles into their courses, decisions, investments, and behaviors. The range and scale of commitments are truly impressive.
Sustainability by the Numbers:
48% energy savings projected at the new Botanical Garden Education Center
39% undergraduate students who study abroad
38% campus discards recycled into products of value
27% reduction in potable water use per square foot since fiscal year 2003
21% food purchased by Carolina Dining Services that comes from producers within 150 miles of campus
19% MBA students who graduate with a concentration in sustainable enterprise
8% reduction in energy use per square foot since fiscal year 2003
16 UNC-Chapel Hill employees who are Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Accredited Professionals, a designation awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council
160 structural stormwater best management practices, e.g., green roofs, cisterns, infiltration beds, permeable pavement parking lots
311 acres of the new Carolina North campus that will be put into a conservation easement
600 low-income students who have graduated debt free because of the Carolina Covenant
569,195 metric tons of CO2 equivalent emitted annually by UNC
1,000,000+ gallons of reclaimed water used daily at campus cooling towers during the summer
7,500,000 rides taken annually on Chapel Hill Transit’s fare-free buses
$17,500,000 awarded to the new Solar Energy Research Center
$82,514,372 campus energy bill in fiscal year 2009
$716,274,113 external research funding received in fiscal year 2009 — double the amount received in fiscal year 1999