Sustainability: One day at a time, one person at a time

SMU engages in environmentally conscious behavior through broad campus resource management programs, recycling, student initiatives and green building construction as well as degree programs, course offerings and research. The University's sustainability efforts include:

Students participate in a game of Environmental Jeopardy as part of SMU's Sustainability Day. Aleksandra Gawor won the "Green Minute" video contest. See her winning video.

• Aggressive trash recycling programs and Dining Services practices that discourage waste.
   
• Energy and water management (including rainwater recovery).
   
• Park N’ Pony services that encourage mass transit through DART passes and the Mustang Express shuttles.
  
  
• Constructing and renovating campus buildings to meet the high standards established by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Engineering and Environmental Design (LEED) program.
  
  
• Encouraging student involvement in campus and community sustainability through the Students for a Better Society and the Environmental Society. SBS co-sponsored the successful “Barefoot on the Boulevard Music Festival” at the end of Earth Week 2009.
  
  
• Pulling together faculty, staff and students through the SMU Sustainability Committee to evaluate the needs of the university and provide suggestions and education for improvements in sustainability and resource conservation.
   
• Membership in the U.S. Green Building Council since 2004 and the Green Building Initiative since 2008, as well as in the Association for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education and the National Council for Science and the Environment.