2023 News

Four new electric vehicle charging stations, strategically placed in the Huron Superior and Erie Ontario parking garages, demonstrate the University’s commitment to fostering environmentally conscious practices and supporting the growing prevalence of electric vehicles.

In an effort to increase waste diversion on campus, two significant expansions are happening this fall with Ryan Field implementing fan-facing, and the Norris Center customer-facing, compost collections. Click on the story to learn more about these initiatives.

sustainNU is taking our mission of campus sustainability to new heights, or perhaps more accurately, new heights in the night sky. To better understand our campus ecosystem Liza Lehrer, Lincoln Park Zoo’s resident bat expert, led a tour to teach about our local bat species, the threats facing bat populations across the country, and methods for monitoring.

Congratulations to the four labs and eight offices that achieved Green Office or Lab Certification throughout the summer and fall! This dedication from our campus community reflects an understanding that Northwestern values not only what we create, but how we create it.

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!

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.

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.

Spring quarter is around the corner and that means Earth Month is too! sustainNU, ASG, Northwestern Dining and others across campus are planning celebrations for this coming April. Earth Month is an opportunity to elevate engagement for and awareness of our environment.

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.