Sustainability Efforts Win Top City Award

NC State received Raleigh’s highest honor for sustainability, the Raleigh Environmental Stewardship Award, at the 2013 Raleigh Environmental Awards on April 22. College of Natural Resources Dean Mary Watzin accepted the award, which is presented annually to a Raleigh individual or organization for leadership in sustainable development.

“This award is a great honor for NC State and the many people on campus working to make the university leaner, smarter and stronger through sustainable projects and programs,” said Tracy Dixon, director of the University Sustainability Office.

In fact, the university captured numerous awards at the Earth Day event for recent sustainable projects and programs, including:

• James B. Hunt Jr. Library, Green Design (Nonresidential) Award
• University Dining, Pioneering Efforts Award
• Artists’ Backyard, Natural Resource Conservation Award
• Sullivan Shops, Natural Resource Conservation Award
• Students Wei Wang and Robert Smith, Donna Jackson Trailblazer Award for environmental public service announcement

The university’s sustainability accomplishments have also been recognized by the Princeton Review, which included NC State in its 2013 Guide to 322 Green Colleges. This is the second year NC State has been selected as one of the nation’s most environmentally responsible schools.

Adding to the 43 percent water  and 13 percent energy reductions of the last decade are the expected long-term savings of more than a million square feet of highly-efficient campus buildings and a new campus utility plant that reduces energy costs by $4 million each year. Nearly half of campus waste is diverted from landfills, and almost a third of food in campus dining halls comes from local sources.

While NC State researchers develop sustainable innovations, student projects include engineering electric cars and designing solutions to some of the globe’s biggest health challenges. From academics to campus operations, stewardship and innovation have become university values that give students a competitive advantage as they enter the workforce.