Sustainability 2024 Year in Review

Published Dec 18, 2024 by
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The ECU Sustainability Program had quite a year in 2024.  Here are some of our most notable accomplishments:

Service Opportunities

  • Harvested and donated over 300 pounds of food from the garden and orchard
  • Hosted 10 volunteer workdays at the Greenville Community Garden and Orchard
  • Hosted seed distribution event for a Wildflower Meadow Restoration Project at West Research Campus
  • Hosted 6 litter cleanups at Town Creek Culvert, keeping hundreds of pounds of trash out of the Tar River
  • Co-hosted Yam Jam, sorting and donating over 40,000 pounds of sweet potatoes to ENC families in need
  • Hosted 4 volunteer trail maintenance work sessions at Otter Creek Natural Area and group hikes at the site
  • Co-hosted Metallix Day for the Environment, facilitating tree plantings, mulching, and picking up litter at Wildwood Park, for over 200 volunteers
  • Collaborated with Love A Sea Turtle to install and plant raised garden beds, ADA accessible beds, garden towers, and landscaping at the Greenville VA Clinic

A large group of young adults and teenagers smiling in the community garden

Academics and Research

  • Hosted 28 guest lectures, educating 990 students about campus sustainability efforts
  • Advised a Senior Engineering Capstone Team working on an EV Infrastructure Study for ECU
  • Advised a Senior Engineering Capstone Team working on a Solar PV Feasibility Study for ECU
  • Hosted 2 Green Stormwater Infrastructure Tours for a Water in the Environment Geography Class
  • Worked with the University Environment Committee to launch a Sustainability Course Designation
  • Employed a student intern to evaluate the STARS 3.0 program and compile an ECU Fleet Vehicle Inventory
  • Advised a Geography Capstone Project to develop a Campus Greenspace and Tree Inventory GIS Story Map
  • Advised a Signature Honors Project (SHP) called Pirate Swap that hosted donation drives, clothes sorting events, and a popup thrift store
  • Hosted the 1st Annual “Faculty Workshop on Integrating Sustainability into the Curriculum” in May 2024 with 11 faculty participants who submitted revised syllabi over prior to the start of the Fall 2024 semester and received $250 stipends

Outreach and Education

  • Promoted recycling at home football game tailgate lots
  • Presented to the ECU Lifelong Learning Program (LLP)
  • Hosted 2 Smart Cycling Courses, certifying 6 participants
  • Hosted 2 guided hikes at Otter Creek Natural Area and one class field trip
  • Recorded Sustainability Cornerstone Module for New Employee Orientation
  • Hosted Bike Repair Clinics bi-weekly, serving over 50 campus cycling commuters
  • Hosted Beginner level Beekeeping School and got 8 students to pass their written exams
  • Served on a Community Leader Panel for the Chancellor’s Student Leadership Academy
  • Hosted the Fall 2024 ECU Energy Challenge in the Residence Halls and Legacy Hall won
  • Sustainability Student Organizations hosted the 3rd Annual Sustainability Ball in spring 2024
  • Certified 3 offices in the Green Office Program:  CON Green Team, SGA, and HHP’s ADR Office
  • Hosted a table, educating thousands of incoming freshmen at the weekly New Student Orientation Fairs
  • Worked with Campus Housing to post new Residence Hall Recycling Guidelines in over 100 floor trash rooms
  • Employed one student intern who promoted recycling at home football game tailgates and collected recyclables after games
  • Hosted Small Island, Big Song panels in collaboration with the Women and Gender Center and the S. Rudolph Alexander Performing Arts Series
  • Hosted 10 events for Earth Week 2024 in April including two new events:  Drive Electric Earth Month EV Demo Event and a Green Collar Careers Panel
  • Hosted Campus Sustainability Day 2024 in October with several student organizations, campus departments, and academic programs each representing one of the 17 U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
  • Hosted 6 Sustainable Film and Discussion events, collaborating with Joyner Library and the Water Resource Center, featuring speakers from the Kingston community, the music project Small Island Big Song, the Water Resource Center, the Center for Sustainable Energy and Environmental Engineering, the Biology Department, and the Lumbee Tribe
  • Hosted tables at:
    • Pirates Aboard (hosted by Admissions)
    • Dive into ECU (hosted by Admissions)
    • Spring Fling (hosted by Laupus Library)
    • Counselor Sail-In (hosted by Admissions)
    • Pollution Prevention Week (hosted by CSE3)
    • Solar Fest (hosted by the Center for Energy Education)
    • Get A Clue Involvement Fair (hosted by Student Affairs)
    • Safe Spring Break Resource Fair (hosted by Student Affairs)
    • Honors College Engagement Fair (hosted by Honors College)
    • Greenville Earth Day Festival (hosted by Sierra Club Cypress Group)
    • Summer Orientation Involvement Fairs (hosted by Student Transitions)

A row of tables with representative from several organizations around campus for Campus Sustainability Day

Administration, Operations, and Grounds

  • Maintained 4 beehives on campus and harvested 6 gallons of honey
  • Renewed Otter Creek Natural Area as an NC Heritage Program Site
  • Reestablished a Native Wildflower Meadow at West Research Campus
  • Represented the Division of Administration and Finance on Staff Senate
  • Served as an Ex Officio Member on the University Environment Committee
  • Participated in AASHE Book Club, Mentorship Program, and the Green Lemon Outreach Cohort
  • Represented ECU on the Pitt County Comprehensive Transportation Plan Steering Committee Meeting
  • Represented ECU in the establishment of a Piedmont and Coastal Carolina Clean Communities Coalition
  • Worked with Dental School students to install and plant 2 aromatherapy raised garden beds outside Ross Hall
  • Attended Clean Transportation Demo Day in Jacksonville, State Energy Conference in Raleigh, Appalachian Energy Summit in Boone, SESN Summer Camp in New Orleans, and APPA Leadership Academy online
  • Student Government Association voted to put a permanent Sustainability Director cabinet position and a Sustainable Development Committee on the SGA Ballot and the student body voted in favor of this measure by 95% approval
  • Passed a joint resolution by the Faculty Senate, Staff Senate, and Student Government Association in support of Fossil Fuel Divestment and Renewable Energy Investments
Sustainability Manager, Chad Carwein, assists a student with managing a beehive

(ECU Photo by Cliff Hollis)

Awards and Metrics