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Sustainability

Learn. Lead. Conserve.

The University of Dayton is a leader in sustainability efforts, and we're committed to making the world a better place — for everyone.

Our work toward a more sustainable world crosses disciplines, programs and divisions, and the University earned a gold STARS rating for our sustainability achievements. The Princeton Review also named UD a "green college."

UD's Sustainability Outcomes

$1 Million

annual energy cost savings since 2022 through energy efficiencies

1000 lbs

campus food waste diverted from landfill each day

Sustainability at UD

  • Dining Services
  • Sustainability Scholars
  • Commitments
  • UD Dining started using compostables in 2009 and has successfully diverted several tons of waste from going to the landfill. Also, Dining Services' three largest dining facilities haul all compostable waste to UD's on-campus in-vessel composter. 

    Explore Sustainability in Dining Services

    Sustainability scholars across campus study various aspects of sustainability, including climate change, renewable and alternative energy, public policy, energy-efficient design and lean construction, the environment, food systems, religious practices and more.

    View the List of Scholars

    A fair trade university, UD is part of the U.N. Global Compact, the Global Catholic Climate Movement, Second Nature's Resilience Commitment, Second Nature's Carbon Commitment and "We're Still In."

    Read the Story

    Sustainability Research

  • Water in Africa
  • Arctic Algae
  • Glacial Findings
  • Linking Climate Patterns and Water Supply

    With a National Science Foundation grant, Zelalem Bedaso and Shuang-Ye Wu research the link between rain-producing climate patterns and water supply in the Horn of Africa.

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    Arctic Algae

    The National Science Foundation awarded two UD researchers a three-year, $201,655 grant to predict the growth and movement of large algae blooms in the Arctic Ocean, related to that region's warming climate. The interdisciplinary project combines artificial intelligence, theoretical physics and biology.

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    Glacial Findings

    Environmental geologist Umesh Haritashya recently published two separate studies -- one on melting glaciers, and one on the 2021 Himalayan Landslide -- that provides critical insights on disaster governance, sustainable development and other issues.

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