The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth is a small city and trying to operate the campus in an environmentally sound manner presents opportunities and challenges that are similar to the ones faced by local government on a daily basis. We use resources like energy and water and clean air and chemicals and paper; and we generate wastes like trash and sewerage and air emissions and hazardous wastes.
Informed by the work done by our researchers and our faculty, we are in a unique position to collect information and implement strategies to improve our sustainability and reduce the ecological footprint of the campus.
The Sustainability Initiative has thus assumed a leadership role on campus to improve performance in the following areas:
- Conserve energy
- Conserve water
- Reduce campus air emissions and pollutants
- Reduce the use of toxic chemicals
- Substitute renewable energy sources for non-renewables when possible
- Substitute "green" building components for traditional ones when possible
- Increase recycling and conservation of materials
- Increase the use of recycled-content materials
- Improve the indoor air quality and comfort levels in buildings
- Provide a proving ground for ecologically preferable technologies
For a comprehensive analysis of "green" opportunities in a campus environment, we use and recommend Greening the Ivory Tower by Sarah Hammond Creighton.
Please continue reading through this site to take a look at environmental improvement projects that we have either implemented or are planning to implement over the next few years.
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Last Updated On: 11/25/05
