Getting Greener
108. Getting Greener
From the dual-flush toilets and low-flow showerheads in the Longstreet-Means sustainable residence hall to serving more local foods on campus, the university is committed to shrinking its carbon footprint. Emory aims to lower its energy consumption 25 percent by 2015, and to protect green space by leaving roughly half of its 700 acres undeveloped. Environmental lawyer Ciannat Howett 87C, whose father, John Howett, taught art history at Emory for decades, became the university’s first director of sustainability initiatives in 2006. “I have great memories of riding my bike around campus,” she recalls. “The rolling hills and all of the streams flowing through here were irresistible for a kid.”
115–116. LEED Leader
Emory is a national leader in sustainable construction with more than two million square feet of building space certified by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), including the first certified Gold LEED existing building in the country, the Goizueta Business School building (2004), and the first LEED-certified building constructed in the Southeast, the Whitehead Biomedical Research Building (2000).
Gold
- Goizueta Business School
- Oxford’s East Village Residence Hall
- Yerkes Field Station
- Psychology and Interdisciplinary Sciences Building
- Goizueta Foundation Center
- Few Residence Hall
- Evans Residence Hall
- Hamilton Holmes Residence Hall (opening 2012)
Silver
- Whitehead Biomedical Research Building
- Candler Library
- Turman Residential Hall
- Yerkes Neuroscience Building
- Emory Conference Center Hotel Addition
- Candler School of Theology
- Williams Medical Education Building
- Oxford Road Building
- Rollins School of Public Health Addition
122. Growing Goodness
Bursting with offerings like fresh zucchini, greens, and tomatoes, several food gardens around campus are meant to educate passersby about seasonal fruits and vegetables—with a few flowers thrown in just for show. There is also the new Food E U, an interactive learning center in the DUC devoted to healthy and sustainable eating, with cooking demonstrations, nutritional seminars, and tie-ins to the weekly Farmers Market. Emory’s sustainability vision sets a goal of serving 75 percent local or sustainably grown food by 2015.
126. Free Ride
Emory’s Cliff shuttle fleet is one of the largest bus services in Georgia and is completely alternatively fueled, powered by biodiesel made from recycled cooking oil from the school’s cafeterias and hospitals. And they’re not just for university denizens—anyone from clinic patients to visitors can hop on and ride.
129. Pedal pushers
To encourage commuters to bike to work and faculty, staff, and students to bike across campus, the Bike Emory program offers free “share” bikes for check-out at various locations. The effort also hosts a “bike to work” day, an on-campus repair center, low-rate bike loans, bike trains, educational and safety classes, and even a Twitter feed.
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Our next category of note: Celebrating Difference.
