Sustainability

A graduation requirement for every student.

During your St. Lawrence experience, you will need to complete at least one unit that meets the learning goals of environmental literacy courses. The courses have primary learning goals that enable you to recognize the consequences of human activities on natural systems, build an awareness of the cultural, economic, and political forces that affect environmental policies, develop an understanding of natural systems as well as the impacts natural systems can have on the environment, human life, health, and welfare.

Investing in our future.

Since joining 600 other institutions of higher education in signing Second Nature’s carbon commitment, St. Lawrence has worked toward becoming climate neutral while conducting operations with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. We’ve also pursued education across our curriculum that empowers the next generation of climate advocates and problem-solvers.

To guide our efforts, our Campus Committee for Sustainability and Climate Neutrality published a Climate Action Plan. Every three to five years, we review our progress, evaluate our successes and identify improvements and new opportunities for innovation.

Sustainability is a part of our landscape. 

Our Climate Action Plan is an integral part of our facilities' operations. It informs our choices when making upgrades and repairs and guides our efforts to make our campus a safe and clean place for our community. Below is a sample of some of our efforts: 

Campus:

• We install the most efficient equipment when replacing lighting, plumbing, and mechanical fixtures.
• We choose energy-efficient appliances when making replacements.
• Single-stream (i.e. zero-sort) recycling bins are placed throughout campus. 
• Composting is available at the Sullivan Student Center, North Star Cafe, and in residence halls. 
• Our facilities team uses a fleet of electric vehicles year-round to conduct operations. 

Grounds:

• We have designated 80 acres of our campus as “low-mow zones.” They remain wild during the growing season in order to preserve natural habitats. 
• When necessary, we use organic fertilizers to build healthy soils and decrease pollution.
• We compost organic waste, leaves, and other lawn debris. 
• Our integrated pest management strategy reduces the amount of toxic chemical herbicide/pesticides to an absolute minimum.
• We manage stormwater through an underground system and a constructed wetland. Stormwater undergoes natural processes to improve its quality before ultimately emptying into the Grasse River.

Reducing, reusing, and thinking local.

Our Dining Services team works closely with our students and departments across campus on solutions that prioritize sustainability in all eateries, including:

• Offering trayless service and effectively reducing food waste by 23 tons and water waste by 100,000 gallons annually.
• Preparing meals with local produce.
• Partnering with local businesses and producers to feature their food on our menus.
• Instating a reusable container exchange program and offering discounts to those who use reusable containers like coffee mugs. 
• Serving fair trade, organic coffee sourced from New England.
• Providing biodegradable utensils and napkins. 
• Using food preparation techniques that include pre-consumer composting.

Learn More About Dining

The building blocks of sustainability on campus.

We know that campus buildings are some of the biggest contributors to our environmental footprint, which is why we’ve chosen to prioritize energy and resource efficiency in all recent and future construction. As part of our commitment to climate neutrality, all new builds will meet the standards of the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Silver Certification.

Getting places more efficiently.

We’re a pedestrian and bike-friendly campus and encourage students to choose low-impact modes of transportation through our Green Bikes rental program. Our campus was recognized as a “Bicycle Friendly University” by the League of American Bicyclists. 

We also encourage ride sharing, offer shuttles to popular nearby destinations, maintain a fleet of hybrid vehicles for official University use, and host two electric vehicle charging stations.

Student activity and advocacy on and off campus. 

The following organizations, departments, and programs work together and in partnership with others across campus to help advance the University’s sustainability goals. 

• Adirondack Semester
• Campus Committee on Sustainability and Neutrality 
• Conservation Biology
• Divest SLU
• Environmental Action Organization (EAO)
• Environmental Conservation Committee, Thelomathesian Society 
• Environmental Studies
• Environmental Science
• The Greenhouse
• Nature Up North
• Outdoor Program
• Outdoor Studies
• Seed to Table

Explore Clubs and Organizations