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UR's first Sustainability Plan is here

For the first time, the University has a plan to guide sustainability efforts throughout campus.Learn More

Explore Fall 2019 Sustainability Courses

Take a look at the dozens of sustainability courses being offered across campus this fall. Learn More

Blue bags cannot be placed in recycling dumpsters

Please open them, empty recyclables into the recycling dumpster, and place the empty bag into the landfill dumpster.Learn More

Free Shopping at UROSE

Drop off office supplies or do some free shopping every Wednesday in Puryear 114. Check Spiderbytes for open hours.Learn more
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Explore Fall Sustainability Courses
Read the Latest Sustainability News
Green Room Program
Rethink Waste
Green Office Program
bees housed in two on-campus hivesRead More
solar array installed in 2016Read More
target year for University carbon neutralityRead More
LEED-certified buildings
of preconsumer food waste composted by Heilman Dining Center each year
waste diversion rate by 2025
goats on campus for invasive plant removal in spring 2019
pounds of electronics recycled at the last E-Waste Collection
Sustainability Facts

Events

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Sustainability News and Stories

UR Biology Professor Eugene Maurakis Awarded Grant for First-of-its-kind Research Project on Nest-Building Minnows in Virginia
University of Richmond professor Eugene G. Maurakis has been awarded funding from the Virginia Academy of Science for his research project on nest-building fishes in Virginia.
UR Community Dives into Book about Flint Water Crisis This Summer
Students, faculty, and staff at the University of Richmond are adding the memoir of a pediatrician from Flint, Michigan to their summer reading lists.
UR Experts Discuss Volcanoes, Graffiti, and Disease at Science Museum of Virginia This Summer; Part of Popular Pompeii Exhibit
Three University of Richmond faculty members will showcase their expertise as a part of the Science Museum of Virginia’s latest exhibition, “Pompeii: The Immortal City”, an exhibit that allows guests to step back in time and discover the Roman civilization of Pompeii before the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 A.D.
Bargain Shoppers Rejoice: UR's Big Yard Sale is Back in Business
University of Richmond’s annual Big Yard Sale is Saturday, May 18, from 8 a.m. to noon at Robins Stadium.
Science Meets Art in Exhibition on How Street Murals Can Beat the Heat; Recommendations Result of Faculty/Student Research
Science meets art in “See the Heat,” a new exhibition co-curated by University of Richmond senior Sarah Kwon, a biology major, and professor Eugene Maurakis, who teaches in the biology department and School of Professional & Continuing Studies.
Goats Return to University of Richmond for Extra Credit in Environmental Landscaping
On the heels of Earth Day, the university welcomes its second herd of goats to campus to clear away unwanted vegetation Tuesday, April 23.
University of Richmond Professor Stephanie Spera Awarded Fellowship for Fall Foliage Research in Acadia National Park
Stephanie Spera, an assistant professor in the University of Richmond Department of Geography and the Environment, has been awarded a fellowship to conduct research in Acadia National Park in Maine.
University of Richmond Professor Todd Lookingbill Honored for Leadership in Landscape Ecology
University of Richmond’s Todd Lookingbill, associate professor of geography, environmental studies, and biology, has received the 2019 Distinguished Service Award by the U.S. Regional Association of the International Association for Landscape Ecology.
Gerrymandering, Gun Control, and Extraterrestrial Encounters Will Be Among Topics Explored During Student Research Symposium
Nearly 400 students will present their original, faculty-mentored research at the University of Richmond’s School of Arts & Sciences 34th annual Student Symposium April 12. Topics include everything from alien life to hot button policy issues.
Employees Recognized for Outstanding Service
5 University employees were recognized with Outstanding Service Awards, and 167 employees were recognized for their years of service.
UR Law Professor Noah Sachs Co-Authors Report Linking Climate Change, Toxic Flooding Threats to Vulnerable Virginia Communities
A new report co-authored by an environmental law expert at the University of Richmond identifies flood-exposed communities in the James River watershed that are socially vulnerable to disasters as well as potential chemical contamination from local industrial facilities.  
University of Richmond Hosts Environmental Racism Symposium
The University of Richmond Department of Geography and the Environment and Bonner Center for Civic Engagement will host a symposium focusing on environmental racism Feb. 4, noon to 3 p.m., in the Robins School of Business, Ukrop Auditorium.
Eisen named as distinguished energy law scholar
This month, Vermont Law School – ranked as one of the top energy law programs in the country – recognized Professor Joel Eisen’s work as a pivotal leader in the field, naming him as its Distinguished Energy Law Scholar for summer 2019.
Djordje Hinic, '13
Jepson School alumnus Djordje Hinic, ’13, channels his business development talent and passion for philanthropy to launch a new company.
UR's Growing List of LEED Gold Certified Buildings Expands by Two
The U.S. Green Building Council has awarded two University of Richmond buildings, The Queally Center and Richmond Hall, with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certification.

@beagreenspider on Instagram

These stripes show the annual average temperature in Virginia from 1895 to 2018.
Jennifer Sevin's students recently worked with Biology Labs Manager Kirstin Berben to make mason bee houses that will be placed around campus. According to @thehoneybeeconservancy, mason bees are solitary, gentle pollinators that love a variety of flowers.
This summer, Robert Ostrom ('20) is working under Kristine Grayson to collect and identify ants, bees, wasps, and sawflies around the city and @urichmond's campus in order to better understand the diversity of pollinators living in urbanized and less urbanized areas.
So far this summer, the UROSE Office Supply Exchange has saved faculty and staff $1,800 by offering free, donated office supplies for reuse!
It's #NationalPollinatorWeek!
June 17-23 is #nationalpollinatorweek! Jennifer Sevin's students recently added some new plants to the pollinator garden near the campus beehives.
We have a long history of sustainability here at @urichmond!
Features like low-flow shower heads, pint-flush toilets, sink aerators, and Energy Star ice machines and washers help us save water in buildings all over campus.
Did you know that we have a campus sustainability map?
@urichmond is collaborating with @sciencemuseumofvirginia, @vcu, and @vaunion1865 to monitor trends in air quality around the city. ☁️ Andre Eanes and Kelly Saverino are working to place and monitor some of the project's air quality sensors this summer. ☁️ Using data from the sensors, Rong Bao will help assess how the spatial patterns of air quality might be connected to historical public policy decisions and current inequity in health outcomes.
Emily Boone's BIOL 111 students recently finished up two weeks on the Eastern Shore learning about coastal ecology. Part of the class involved volunteering with @nature_org to support the largest, most successful seagrass restoration project in the world. 🌊 Students collected seagrass shoots so they could be taken to holding tanks, where their seeds will mature before being planted in coastal bays in the fall.
@urichmond is part of a nationwide project to better understand the effects of urbanization on turtles. Since 2012, biology students taught by Peter Smallwood, Kristine Grayson, and Jennifer Sevin have waded into Westhampton Lake to track the population of different turtle species living there. This year, students captured snapping turtles, musk turtles, painted turtles, and red-eared sliders.