This is where change begins.
Get Involved
Our entire campus community has the opportunity to get involved with sustainability work. You'll find something for everyone's interests!
Sustainability Orientation Video [10:48]
Current Volunteer Opportunities
- UB Sustainability is looking for volunteers to help with planting a mini forest on November 11th-13th. Get involved in sustainability on campus and help us grow over 1,400 trees! Sign up here to help!
Join a Sustainability Club
UB has many sustainability clubs on campus click the link below to find one that is right for you!
SCAPE
SCAPE (Student Climate Action Plan Engagement) is a team of students dedicated to supporting UB’s Climate Action Plan. Members share feedback, spark ideas, and work in action groups to help shape a more sustainable, climate-ready campus.
**More information coming soon on how to get involved in SCAPE this Fall!
Food Recovery Network
Since 2021, UB’s student-led Food Recovery Network has recovered over 5 tons of surplus food with support from UB Sustainability and Campus Dining, redistributing it to FeedMore WNY and local organizations.
Carbon Reduction Challenge Course (ERT479/579)
Faculty Senate
Professional Staff Senate
The Professional Staff Senate (PSS) Sustainable Living Committee empowers the UB community to live more sustainably through monthly meetings, educational events, and hands-on initiatives open to anyone, from seasoned environmentalists to those just getting started.
Student Sustainability Impact Team (SSIT)
This paid opportunity is perfect for those that have a busy schedule, but can dedicate a few hours a week to high impact, visible sustainable projects on campus.
Trainings
All members of the UB community have access to participate in free sustainability training opportunities through The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) and the Post Landfill Action Network (PLAN), as a result of our institutional membership to these organizations. To access AASHE’s Campus Sustainability Hub, including toolkits, click here. To access PLAN’s resources and trainings, click here.
Sustainability Month
April is Sustainability Month! A month long celebration full of free sustainability-related activities across UB -- from reducing waste to advancing climate justice. Together, we can prioritize sustainability and create a livable climate for our planet.
UB ReUSE
UBReUSE is a student-run campus waste diversion program supported by UB Sustainability and Campus Living. The program has two main components, the ReUSE Move-Out Collection at the end of the Spring semester, and the ReUse Market, at the start of the Fall semester. The program captures goods during move-out that are useful but no longer wanted or needed by their owner.
GRoW Garden
UB Sustainability is creating a Miyawaki Mini Forest and community garden near the GRoW Clean Energy Center on Flint Road. The Miyawaki method helps develop a dense, self-sustaining ecosystem. We plan to plant 1,400 trees in just 300 square meters. We need your help as a volunteer to support this effort and create real ecosystems on North Campus. Members of the campus community are able apply to adopt a garden bed for the growing season.
Sustainability Library Guide
This guide is the result of a collaborative effort by liaison librarians across disciplines to bring together a wide range of sustainability-focused resources. Featuring curated materials spanning environmental science, engineering, business & economics, architecture & planning, and more, the guide will continue to grow as new resources and emerging topics are added over time.
Sign up for our newsletter
Sign up for our newsletter to get monthly sustainability updates, hear from student voices on campus, and stay informed about the latest sustainability news from around the world.
Follow us on social media
For the most current UB Sustainability news and involvement opportunities, follow us on social media!
Being the Change You Wish to See
- Take notes electronically
- Calculate your Carbon Footprint
- Use a reusable K-Cup Pod - single use pods create a lot of waste
- Adopt reusable bag practices
- Recycle plastic bags at grocery stores (like Walmart, Target, Wegmans)
- Buy less or borrow
- Only buy things that you need!
- Shop at second-hand stores
- Reuse old water bottles or purchase a reusable one
- Buy a water filter for home and use water filter stations on campus
- Recycle as much as possible and be weary of items that cannot be recycled
- Use a reusable mug and avoid single-use coffee cups
- Power Down - Turn off lights and electronics when not in use
- Use energy efficient light bulbs
- Set your heat a few degrees lower or your AC a few degrees higher
- Better yet, bundle up in the winter and use fans and open your windows in the summer
- Turn down your water heater
- Stream movies through a smart TV, not your gaming console
- Walk or bike
- Carpool with friends, roommates, coworkers, etc.
- Take public transportation
- Check your tires regularly
- Use cruise control
- Carpool
- Don't weigh down your car
- Decrease your consumption of meat and animal products
- Eat lower down on the food chain as much as you can
- Don’t purchase aerosol sprays
- Think about your water usage - can you cut down your shower time?
- Support better brands- USDA Organic, Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, Natural Product Association Certification, The Leaping Bunny, NaTrue, Cradle to Cradle, NSF, etc.
- Support local and organic farmers
- At grocery stores and at farmer’s markets
- Donate to food kitchens
- Understand expiration dates
- Expiration dates refer to a product's quality, not safety
- Sell-by date is the deadline for retailers to sell the product
- Use-by date is when the product starts to lose its quality and flavor
- Waste less food
- Learn to love leftovers
- Take note of what you already have before going grocery shopping
- Buy only what you can finish
- Freeze or preserve your food to extend its life
- Create a compost pile