20 WAYS EMORY IS BUILDING A GREENER FUTURE
Sustainability has been a top priority for Emory since 2005 — before some of the students who now call campus “home” were even born.
Twenty years ago, sustainability made its debut as a priority in the university’s 2005 strategic plan, spurring the creation of the Office of Sustainability Initiatives (OSI). Initiatives such as the Emory Farmers Market, Educational Gardens, rooftop solar panels, the WaterHub, and the Oxford College Organic Farm started as a dream from that office and are now staples of life at Emory.
Since 2010, carbon emissions have been reduced by 32%, despite a growing campus and student population.
Emory also boasts the first LEED-certified building in the Southeast, thanks to the 2002 construction of Whitehead Biomedical Research Building.
Sustainable and local food accounts for more than 40% of the food served in Emory’s dining halls, through both on-campus efforts and Atlanta-area partnerships.
Ciannat Howett served as the founding director of OSI, helping create these projects. Fast forward 20 years, and Howett is still running the sustainability initiative at Emory, though her title has changed to associate vice president of resilience, sustainability and economic inclusion.
“It’s so validating that all of these sustainability projects and practices now feel like a part of Emory, so much so that current students can’t even imagine our campus without them,” Howett says. “We had a collective dream of how we wanted to create a more sustainable campus and community, and our office has been working with others to implement that vision ever since.
“It’s gratifying to know that these sustainability projects and practices are important parts of life at Emory. The most meaningful work we do is to build a community with others who share a desire to create a model of sustainability and manifest our written vision to incorporate sustainability into every aspect of life at Emory, from the operating room to the classroom.”
What’s next for sustainability at Emory? The office will continue to pursue commitments to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and single-use plastics. OSI will also launch a climate action plan implementation committee to begin its work this year.
“It’s really exciting to see what we’ve been able to accomplish over the past 20 years,” Howett says. “I see many more things we could be doing, too, and that keeps me energized.”
But it can’t be done alone, she emphasizes.
“Everything about sustainability at Emory has been collaborative,” she says. “So many offices deserve credit for our progress. Our colleagues in building and residential services who sweep floors are part of the indoor air quality effort required for LEED certification, and those colleagues who empty the recycling bins are helping us divert landfill waste.
“Our architects and engineers are designing sustainable buildings and systems that reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions,” she says.
“Faculty incorporate sustainability into the curriculum and their research, and Emory students are the driving force for change, who keep our momentum going and always hold us accountable.
“Everyone who is at Emory has the opportunity to contribute. It truly is a collective effort and a collective journey.”
RANKINGS & RECOGNITION
• Emory has been ranked Gold by the Association of the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education since first reporting in 2011, and has been recognized in the Sustainable Campus Index 17 times since 2015.
• Princeton Review has ranked Emory as a “most sustainable campus” in the United States several times since 2009 with rankings in the top 10 in recent years, including #5 in 2025.
• Emory has received numerous awards and recognition for the WaterHub, the Farms Fund and the Emory Farmers Market.
• Emory has earned the Campus Sustainability Award from the international Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education twice.
20 signature achievements from 20 years of sustainability at Emory:
1. THE PIEDMONT PROJECT
Technically started by Professor Emerita Peggy Barlett before OSI was formed, the Piedmont Project is an annual interdisciplinary summer development program that provides faculty members with the tools, connections and inspiration to infuse sustainability and environmental issues into their classrooms and beyond. Launched at Emory in 2001, it’s the country’s longest-running faculty development program in sustainability and is nationally acclaimed for its pioneering approach.
In 2004, it was expanded to include the Teaching Assistant Training and Teaching Opportunity program (TATTO), a one-day version of the same program, focusing on graduate students who teach at Emory.
Since 2001, the Piedmont Project has served approximately 300 faculty members and 200 graduate students.
2. SUSTAINABLY CERTIFIED BUILDINGS
Emory boasts 21 buildings that have achieved a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification from the U.S. Green Buildings Council, and 42 LEED-certified buildings overall. In total, more than 4 million of the university’s 16 million square feet are sustainably certified.
Whitehead Biomedical Research Building was the first LEED-certified building in the Southeast at its construction in 2002, and the Goizueta Business School became the first building in the country to achieve LEED Gold for Existing Buildings in 2005.
The LEED certification program is the world’s most prominent green building rating system, awarded for integrating sustainable, resource-efficient and wellness-focused design and construction elements that support ecosystem and resident health.
3. EMORY FARMERS MARKET
Howett recalls that a number of individuals believed the Farmers Market would fizzle out after a year or two.
Instead, since its opening in 2008, it’s only grown, even being named one of the best farmers markets in Atlanta by Modern Luxury in 2025.
The market sets up on campus each Tuesday during the academic year, allowing people to purchase fresh produce, hot food, locally made pastries and more. The beloved event helps connect students, faculty and staff to the Atlanta community and its entrepreneurs, while offering a fresh way to tap into the earth.
4. STUDENT INTERNSHIPS
Since its founding in 2006, OSI has offered more than 170 internships to Emory students who use research, data analysis, outreach, training, communications and programmatic skills to integrate sustainability into all levels of the Emory enterprise.
This is one of the pieces Howett enjoys most.
“We really give students the start in the career of sustainability, it’s the first job on their resume,” she says. “None of the work our interns do gathers dust on the shelf. It’s not theoretical, it’s work that’s getting implemented. That’s great experience and gives them marketable skills.
“It’s closest to my heart because of the ripple effect of touching a student’s life like that. Emory graduates go all over the world, so if we’ve had an impact on them, they take it wherever they go next.”
5. THE WATERHUB
Created in 2015, the WaterHub at Emory is an innovative wastewater treatment facility on campus. It also happens to look like a thriving greenhouse, reflective of its technology that mimics the natural processes in swamps, marshes and wetlands.
This on-campus, decentralized wastewater treatment facility takes raw sewage and turns it into reclaimed water that can be used for non-potable (read: non-drinking) purposes across campus, such as heating and cooling buildings or flushing toilets. That also means that precious potable water is preserved for things like drinking and cooking rather than literally being flushed down the drain.
The WaterHub is a pivotal part of Emory’s 40% reduction in drinkable water use, and up to 400,000 gallons of water are recycled daily. To date, more than 425 million gallons (or more than 640 Olympic-sized pools) of wastewater have been safely recycled.
6. GREEN ROOFS
You’d never know it from the ground level, but an aerial view of campus reveals that many of Emory’s buildings have green roofs.
The vegetative roof coverings used in place of tiles or shingles help disperse summer heat, create a cooler rooftop environment and absorb stormwater run-off. What started as a student-led pilot study in 2008 has since grown to include six buildings on the Druid Hills campus.
7. SHUTTLES AND COMMUTER BENEFITS
Emory University’s employees have access to commuter benefits such as fully subsidized regional transit passes, a free shuttle system, carpool and vanpool incentives, and more.
The Emory shuttles are an early part of the university’s sustainability vision. Commuting emissions account for roughly 10% of Emory’s greenhouse gas emissions. Now, the system transports 2.5 million riders annually to and from Emory facilities for free, contributing to a nearly 40% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from staff commuting. The shuttles have also run on a B5 biofuel blend made from campus- and hospital-used cooking oils.
In 2025, six new battery-powered shuttles debuted, each of which was custom-built, taking into account hundreds of specifications about Emory’s campus, operators, safety and more.
The switch to battery-powered EV buses is helping reduce emissions and offering users a quieter ride.
8. SOLAR ROOF PANELS
In 2020, Emory signed a transformative power agreement to install more than 15,000 solar panels on its Druid Hills campus. These panels, once fully installed, will generate approximately 5.5 megawatts of solar power, representing 10% of Emory’s peak energy requirements and reducing annual greenhouse gas emissions by about 4,300 metric tons.
Rooftop solar canopies also provide shaded parking decks, and these installations are used as pedagogical tools in classes, furthering the vision of campus as a living laboratory.
9. SUSTAINABILITY IN THE CLASSROOM
At Emory, sustainability also belongs in the classroom and can act as a foundation for students. More than 400 courses across 40 academic departments are related to sustainability and 79% of academic departments have sustainability course offerings, both at the graduate and undergraduate levels.
Undergraduate students can earn a Sustainability Minor in Interdisciplinary Studies or a Sustainability Sciences Minor through Emory College’s Department of Environmental Sciences, or concentrate in environmental management through Goizueta Business School.
Options for graduate students abound. The School of Medicine offers the Climate and Health curriculum; the School of Law boasts the Turner Environmental Law Clinic; and the Environmental Health Department is part of Rollins School of Public Health.
Emory has hosted the national faculty development program for the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education for more than a decade, supporting more than 250 faculty from across the country to integrate sustainability into their curriculum.
10. CAMPUS FOREST CANOPY
In 2009, OSI implemented the No Net Loss of Forest Canopy policy in order to replace all lost tree canopy. In the most recent Emory Sustainability Vision and Strategic Plan, the office denoted a plan to shift from a No Net Loss policy to a Net Positive Forest Canopy policy, increasing the amount of shade available across campus as well as carbon sequestering abilities.
11. EDUCATIONAL GARDENS
Howett refers to the eight educational gardens as little gems across Emory’s campus. The gardens, planted in 2007, are open to all members of the Emory community and volunteers don’t need to maintain a strict schedule. After each shift, volunteers can take home any of the ripe produce. Any produce that’s left over is donated to area food pantries.
In addition to being a way for volunteers to get their hands dirty and learn the basics of gardening, these spaces provide an opportunity to think critically about food sourcing and environmental impacts.
12. PROTECTING POLLINATORS
In 2014, Emory University became the first campus in the nation to adopt a comprehensive pollinator protection plan, which bans the use of neonicotinoids — a group of pesticides contributing to the decline in pollinator species.
That strategy, in combination with the dedication to green spaces and pollinator gardens, encourages the success of wild plants. More than 80% of the world’s flowering plants need a pollinator to survive.
13. GREEN NETWORKING NIGHT
Beyond student internships, the office also works to connect students to the sustainability sector outside of Emory. Green Networking Night, started in 2008 and hosted in collaboration with the Emory College Pathways Center and the Department of Environmental Science, invites undergraduate and graduate students to mingle with alumni and professionals across the field of sustainability.
Each year, the event helps students orient themselves to the breadth of available professions and career paths.
14. RECYCLING AND COMPOST BINS
“There is no ‘away’ when we throw away” is a popular adage in the sustainability world, a reminder that everything winds up somewhere. Too often, that “somewhere” is a landfill that comes with negative impacts on the surrounding community. That mindset spurred Emory to adopt a zero-waste policy in 2015, committing to recycle, repurpose, reclaim or divert as much waste as possible from landfills.
Emory’s extensive waste policy offers recycling and composting stations across campus, helping Eagles sort their items into five standard bins: compost, plastics and metals, mixed paper, white paper, and landfill.
Now, the five-bin system is recognizable as an Emory campus staple.
Emory has also looked beyond materials and is tackling food waste, which accounts for nearly 25% of landfill waste. Emory’s food waste is taken off-site to be transformed into compost, which can be used for farming and other purposes.
In 2020, Emory received a national grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to establish an on-campus prototype for an anaerobic digester. Emory finalized the conceptual design for this cutting-edge technology, which could turn Emory’s compost into biogas (renewable energy to replace fossil fuels) and soil amendments or biofertilizer (agricultural use).
“It’s a great example of circularity and closing the loop,” Howett says. “Food becomes food waste, which becomes biofertilizer, which is then used to grow more food plus provide renewable energy.”
15. OXFORD COLLEGE ORGANIC FARM
The Oxford College Organic Farm — a fan favorite at the Emory Farmers Market — started in 2014 to provide fresh produce for student dining, along with hands-on educational experiences for students in many disciplines.
The three-acre farm is on a parcel of 11 acres that was donated to Emory by an alumnus in 2011. One step at a time, lead farmer and educator Daniel Parson turned the land from a grass yard into nutrient-rich soil where crops could thrive.
To educate students, the farm is incorporated into the environmental sciences curriculum and works with other, perhaps less obvious, programs such as sociology, economics and creative writing.
In addition to a handful of full-time staff, during the academic year, the Oxford College Farm hires 12-20 students who typically work a weekly six-hour shift. The work is open to any student at Oxford and students can work at the farm their entire time at Oxford.
16. FARMS FUND PARTNERSHIP
In 2019, Emory partnered with the Farms Fund, an initiative from the Conservation Fund that works with farmers to buy agricultural lands at risk of development and place them under a conservation easement. The university then enters into a food purchase agreement to buy Farms Fund farmers’ crops, ensuring a steady supply of local food for the university and giving the farmers some dependable income and collateral for financing in an uncertain industry.
While the Oxford Organic Farm supplies fresh food for dining in Covington, the Atlanta campus primarily benefits from the Farms Fund.
The pioneering partnership emerged from work being done through OSI and the Turner Environmental Law Clinic. Each year, the clinic provides more than 4,000 hours of pro bono legal representation to individuals, community groups and nonprofit organizations seeking to protect and restore the environment.
17. MAKING MOVE-OUT GREEN
Each spring since 2013, OSI has partnered with Emory Recycles and Residence Life and Housing Operations to provide students with an outlet to donate unwanted items. Aptly named “Don’t Dump It, Donate It,” donation kiosks and trucks are placed across campus in the weeks before students move out.
Students can donate furniture, electronics, small household items, clothing, school supplies, books and non-perishable food. All proceeds from the sale of these items benefit Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta through Emory’s partnership with America’s Thrift.
In 2025, the campaign recovered 40,670 pounds of donated materials.
18. FUNDING FOR GREEN IDEAS
OSI began offering funding opportunities to encourage the Emory community to implement new ideas and research in 2007. General Sustainability grants are available for up to $3,000, supporting research, campus-based projects and the development of new rituals to promote sustainability on Emory’s campuses.
Green Labs and Green Office Incentive funds support sustainability in Emory’s work and research spaces by funding sustainable processes and procedures in Emory University and Emory Healthcare offices and labs certified through the respective programs. Up to $5,000 is available for proposals encouraging changes in behavior, practices and equipment utilized in these spaces in areas such as energy, water, waste, safety, health, engagement and purchasing.
Projects from recent years include the Oxford Organic College Farm’s purchase of a fully electric, rideable mower to increase ease of operation, lower noise levels for operators, eliminate on-site air pollution and pave the way for renewable energy use; pollinator and native plant gardens at the libraries; and monthly cooking demonstrations at the Emory Farmers Market.
19. GEOTHERMAL WELLS
The Emory Student Center’s doors opened in May 2019. The building itself is spacious and welcoming, but there’s more to it than meets the eye. In pursuit of energy efficiencies, the facility includes a system of 400-foot-deep geothermal wells dug into nearby McDonough Field that provide some 700 tons of heating/cooling capacity. To look at the playing field today, you’d never guess what hides beneath it.
In addition, the LEED platinum-certified facility utilizes chilled beams and a customized air displacement system — located in the floors, not the towering ceilings — to help with climate control. Large-scale ceiling fans —imagine an airplane propeller — also maintain comfort, while low-flow faucets and dual-flush toilets aid water conservation, and an outdoor plaza doubles as a green roof.
20. BREAKING FREE FROM PLASTIC
In June 2021, the student-led Plastic-Free Emory group worked with university leadership to adopt a “Break Free from Plastics Pledge” that commits the university to reduce its consumption of unnecessary single-use plastics.
In 2025, Emory’s Break Free From Plastic Task Force launched and met throughout a 2025-26 planning period. The Task Force is completing recommendations for a year-by-year single-use plastic reduction strategy, but all students, faculty and staff are encouraged to assess their reliance on single-use plastics and consider alternatives.
The reduction strategy, which will be issued in the fall semester, will provide guidance on alternatives to plastic and methods for plastic reduction in labs, offices, classrooms and at events.
An early win includes aluminum water bottles, rather than plastic, at Commencement this year. The change joins ongoing sustainability efforts at Commencement, including graduation gowns manufactured from recycled plastic bottles.
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About this story: Writing by Michelle Ricker. Design by Laura Douglas-Brown. Photos by Emory Photo/Video except pollinator and plastic photos by Getty Images.
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