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Sustainability Newsletter

April 2025

Celebrate Earth Week!

Fly on over to Earth Week

Each year, the UT Dallas community comes together to celebrate sustainability through a week of interactive and educational events around Earth Day. Mark your calendars for the 14th annual Earth Week from April 21-25 hosted by the Office of Sustainability and Office of Student Volunteerism. This year’s theme is “Wildlife” to celebrate all our furry, feathered, scaly, and shelled neighbors. From pollinator activities and a raptor show to a movie screening and Earth Fair, there will be something for everyone. Don’t miss out on the exciting events planned!

Keep Our Community Beautiful!

This month, join the Office of Sustainability and our partners for multiple opportunities to clean up our campus, creeks, and highways. On April 8 starting at 10:00 a.m., meet at the Visitor Center to help keep UTD litter-free. During Earth Week, the Office of Student Volunteerism is cleaning up a portion of highway north of campus on April 23 starting at 9:30 a.m. Finally, the Office of Institutional Risk and Safety is hosting an educational and volunteer event to show how UTD protects Cottonwood Creek on April 25 at 10:00 a.m. We hope to see you help us protect our local environment and wildlife. Registration is required for all events.

Sustainability Honors: Last Chance for Spring 2025 Graduates

Are you passionate about building a more sustainable world? Sustainability Honors recognizes graduating students who went above and beyond to engage with and learn more about sustainability during their time at UTD. Students are recognized for their participation in any combination of a variety of engagements which total to 15 points, including coursework, volunteering, leadership, internships, and more! In fact, you may have already earned some points! Graduate and undergraduate students are welcome to participate in this program and will earn graduation regalia upon completion. Spring graduates you still have time - the deadline has been extended to April 9th! Visit our website to learn more!

Eco Reps Presenting at TRACS Summit

Four Eco Reps in the Office of Sustainability will be presenting at the 11th annual Texas Regional Alliance for Campus Sustainability (TRACS) Summit this April. They will present posters showcasing work on campus advancing sustainability through marketing, agriculture, and pollinator protection through programs including Campus Sustainability Month, Luna Farm and Monarch Fest. Thank you to our Eco Reps for all their hard work making UTD more sustainable!

The Greenhouse

Updates to the UT Dallas Eco Rep Blog

Sustainability:
A Vague Buzzword,
or Something More Meaningful?

Ananya looks into the different origins of this term and the approaches they represent.

Head to the Greenhouse! >

Sustainability in Operations Highlight

Each month, we highlight sustainable features of campus operations
including energy efficiency, water conservation, waste management,
and green building practices.

Dining Hall West (DHW) has a long-standing dedication to implementing sustainability within operations. Focusing on energy and water efficiency, waste reduction, and prioritizing local and sustainable cuisine options, DHW is a 3 Star Certified Green Restaurant by the Green Restaurant Association. With restaurants creating over 300 million tons of garbage every year, DHW reduces waste from diverting and reducing food waste, offering reusables, and recycling plastics, glass, aluminum, cardboard, and paper.

As part of food waste reduction, DHW collects compostable material from kitchens and dining areas as part of back-of-house and front-of-house waste minimization. Since 2011, the dining hall has diverted 631,393 pounds of compostable food waste from the landfill. DHW is located in the Andromeda Hall complex, which was certified as a LEED Silver green building in 2015. The buildings making up the complex use energy and water conservation measures throughout the complex ensure efficiency and savings throughout the life of the building. Next time you are looking to grab something to eat on campus, try dining green at Dining Hall West!