News

Northwestern University has earned the ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year — Sustained Excellence Award for the fourth consecutive year from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). In 2020, Northwestern was the first university to ever receive the award.

While there is much to be done to reduce our contributions to climate change, it is important to celebrate along the way. Keep reading to see highlights of some ways to participate in Earth Month activities, and check out the full calendar of events on our website!

sustainNU is excited to highlight the first lab to complete our new Green Labs Certification: the Goyal Lab, led by Dr. Yogesh Goyal. The Goyal lab researches the single-cell biology of development and disease, jointly with the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology and the Center for Synthetic Biology. Read on to learn more about the Goyal Lab and their commitment to sustainability. If you are interested in becoming Green Labs Certified, you can learn more here.

The trees on Northwestern’s campus can teach us many things about the University’s history, ecology, and cultural landscape. To facilitate such learning, the newly formed Northwestern Tree Tour Group hosted a guided walk last month. Led by Dr. Eli Suzukovich III, students, staff, and faculty explored the tree and plant species on the Evanston campus.

Figuring out how to eat for the planet can be complicated. To help, a new system implemented by Northwestern Dining empowers people to make more sustainable choices. In partnership with HowGood, Dining is working to identify the environmental and social impact of individual menu items. HowGood is an independent research company that has analyzed more than 30,000 ingredients, chemicals, and materials associated with food products to provide impact assessments of recipes.

This quarter, sustainNU launched a new Green Labs Certification program, similar to our existing Green Office Certification, to help lab users adopt more sustainable practices. This voluntary certification program engages campus partners in best practices for sustainable lab management and operations, without sacrificing research quality or lab safety.

Northwestern was honored in Washington, DC during the 2022 Award Ceremony for the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools Postsecondary and District Sustainability Awards. The University was recognized for our innovative efforts to reduce environmental impact and costs, promote better health, and ensure effective environmental education.

A new reusable container program has been rolled out in the dining halls on campus. Last quarter, many of the reusable containers were not returned leaving the program depleted and a lot of reusable containers lost to the landfill. Northwestern Dining and Student Affair worked to reinstate the program, rolling out the new, green OZZI containers at the end of January.

Don't let figuring out what does and does not go in the recycling bin be a headache. With this handy guide to recycling at Northwestern and the surrounding community, you’ll be a pro in no time!