Sustainable Living on

1
Sustainable Living on Georgia Tech's Campus

• on behalf of the 
• SGA Sustainability Committee

2
What is sustainability?

• The present generation living in such a manner
  that allows them to
• meet societal demands and fulfill their potential
  without hindering future generations from doing
• the same.

3
Why is sustainability important?

• Preserving the present while looking to the
  future
•  
• Environmentally responsible being
  conservation-minded good stewardship of natural
  and human resources
•  
• Economically responsible and smart
  forward-looking and accounting for externalities
•  
• Socially responsible sustainability eliminates
  issues of inequality and injustice
•  
•  
•  

4
Major areas of sustainability

• Food
• Providing it in an economically viable, socially
  fair, and environmentally sound manner to
  everyone
• Transportation
• Reducing dependency on oil and our carbon
  footprint
• Energy usage
•  Socially and financially sound  electric
  technology that doesn't pollute
• Water usage 
• Using our "next most precious resource" wisely
• Waste reduction
• Not just recycling, but reducing and reusing
• Informed consumption (social awareness)

5
Food Choices

• More local and organic available in Student
  Center Food Court and dining halls than ever
  before
• Vegetarian/vegan options available
• Farmer's Market Community Supported Agriculture
  (CSA)
• Community Garden on campus

6
Composting

• Composting on campus Extensive Composting by GT
  dining through contractor GreenCo
• GreenCo provides compost for TBD and composts at
  football games
• Problem with composting contamination fines
• Some students do participate but Tech is
  currently lacking a more streamlined approach to
  composting
• Contact Nell Fry 

Composting facility outside of Woodruff Dining
Hall
7
Recycling

• Extremely active and enthusiastic Recycling
  Department in Facilities
• Progress limited by financial and staff
  restrictions despite desire to expand
•  Currently expanding Game Day Recycling  and
  Greek recycling programs
• Student body looking for more ways/opportunities
  to recycle

8
Bicycling

•  Increasingly popular way to get around campus
• Major Student Concerns Bike Lanes, Bike Racks,
  safety and security
• Starter Bikes GT's own bicycle co-op
  partnership with SOS and ABC
• ViaCycle ME project (www.viacycle.com)
• Honors Program Bike Sharing (has potential, but
  not being widely used)
• Atlanta Bike Shops Intown Bicycles (near
  Piedmont Park)

9
Public Transportation

• Use MARTA to get around the city
• GT transportation can take many places, such as
• Midtown MARTA station
• Publix
• Emory
• Atlantic Station
• GT transportation runs on clean diesel
• Carpooling incentives

10
Academics on Sustainability

• Over 100 classes spread over every school and
  college on 
•     campus are sustainability-focused
•  
• 21 Endowed Chairs with Sustainability focus
•  
• 23 Research Centers with Sustainability focus
•  
• Lecture series Open Forum on Energy and the
  Environment (http//www.chbe.gatech.edu/energyforu
  m/ Clean Energy Speaker Series
  (www.secleanenergy.org)

11
What is being done for sustainability on a
campus-wide level

• All future buildings must be LEED Gold certified
  and renovations must be LEED-EB
• Cistern at CULC Building
• A- on Green Report Card
• Zero net energy research building in future
• Green purchasing policy
• Low-flow toilets and sinks

12
Simple Sustainability Practices You Can Do Every
Day

• Recycling
• Turning off unnecessary lights and unplugging
  unused electrical appliances
• Adjusting your thermostat away from temperature
  extremes
• Composting
• Reducing consumption
• Reusing old supplies and materials and
  repurposing discarded or used objects
• Raising awareness and encouraging sustainable
  living to those around you

13
GT Sustainability Administration People to Know

• Cindy Jackson-Office of Waste Management and
  Recycling Cindy.Jackson_at_facilities.gatech.edu
•  
• Marcia Kinstler-Director of Environmental
  Stewardship marcia.kinstler_at_business.gatech.edu
• Nell Fry- Sustainability Coordinator of Georgia
  Tech Dining Services nell.fry_at_sodexo.com
•  
• Maria Linderoth- Program Coordinator for
  Recycling- Maria.Linderoth_at_facilities.gatech.edu
•  

14
Sustainability Student Organizations

• SOS-Molly McLaughlinmolly_at_gatech.edu
• Community Garden
• De facto sustainability leaders on campus
• Environmental Alliance Georgia Tech (EAGT)-
  Nicole Caruso ncaruso3_at_gatech.edu
• Starter Bikes- Gretchen Goldman
  gretchen.goldman_at_ce.gatech.edu
• SGA Sustainability Committee-Tomás León
  tomas.leon_at_gatech.edu Joe Charbonnet
  joecharbonnet_at_gmail.com
• Students for Progressive Transit- Amy Ingles
  aingles3_at_gatech.edu
• Engineers without Borders
• Engineers for a Sustainable World- new student
  organization (www.eswusa.org)