The Georgia Tech built environment and surrounding landscape serves as a living campus.
With more than 400 acres, 15,000 trees, 230 buildings, and 30,000 visitors daily, Infrastructure & Sustainability welcomes creative partnerships with our campus colleagues. We are eager for the Georgia Tech community to engage with us in data research, pilot projects, research grants, capstone projects, and more.
By merging academics and research with campus spaces, we have a unique opportunity to form partnerships and provide real-world educational experiences. Leveraging our environment as a living campus is an integral component of the strategic plans, goals, and initiatives that guide the direction of the Institute.
Administration and Finance Strategic Plan
Infrastructure and Sustainability Strategic Plan
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To begin a collaboration, please use this webform.
WASTE AUDIT & INCREASING DIVERSION RATES
Infrastructure & Sustainability conducts on-campus waste audits. We encourage the engagement of faculty and students in this process. Below are some suggested areas of involvement.
- Conducting A Waste Audit: material selection, measurements, and waste.
- Micro-Communities/Human Organization: help identify sub-sets of our on-campus communities.
- Evaluation & New Diversion Tactics
- Social Justice & Community Impact
- Communications & Engagement
Contact The Office of Sustainability at: Sustain@sustain.gatech.edu
TREE PLANTINGS SUPPORT TREE CAMPUS USA CERTIFICATION
Every year Landscape Services plants at least 50 additional trees on campus. These trees support an expansion of our urban forest, as well as the caliper replacement of trees that had to be removed due to construction or end-of-life. We encourage student classes and organizations (minimum of four students at a time) who are interested in helping with tree plantings.
Contact Infrastructure and Sustainability: cheryl.kelley@facilities.gatech.edu
THE ECOCOMMONS – A PERFORMANCE LANDSCAPE
The EcoCommons master plan includes 80 acres of engineered waterway designed to replicate the storm water management of the original streams running through campus, with a goal of a 50% reduction in stormwater runoff. We encourage academic partners to investigate best practices in performance landscape, design, and measurements of success.
Contact Infrastructure and Sustainability: cheryl.kelley@facilities.gatech.edu
Infrastructure and Sustainability (I&S) includes a wide variety of experts who may be able to offer insight to real-world applications of environmental sustainability principles. If you are interested in scheduling an I&S professional to visit your classroom, pleae reach out to Program and Operations Manager, Cheryl Kelley at cheryl.kelley@gatech.edu. Professions and sample topic-areas are listed below.
a. Green Cleaning Program Manager:
Cleaning with ionized water, micro-fiber cloths, etc. How does indoor air quality impact building occupants?
b. Recycling Program Manager & Recycling Collections Associate:
What contamination items are very problematic in our waste streams and why? How is recycling waste collected on campus? Understanding the business side of recycling.
c. Construction Manager:
Constructing Green Buildings, recycling construction waste, engaging community members in major campus projects.
d. Building or Landscape Design Professional: (typically a trained architect or masters-level professional):
Green buildings on and off campus. Campus-as-a-system approach to landscapes.
e. Mechanical and Electrical Engineers:
Specializing in the design of high-efficiency building systems, or the challenges associated with retrofitting/renovating a building to be more efficient, etc.
f. Energy Conservation Manager:
Prioritizing energy conservation measures in a large building portfolio; identifying impact areas; understanding and maintaining high-performance buildings.
g. Landscape Project Managers:
Smart storm water management using non-potable water for irrigation; monitoring and managing non-potable water resources with technology; integrated pest management strategies, increasing pollinator-friendly habitats, native plant species, performance landscaping.
h. Environmental Programs Manager:
Why and how do we monitor our GHG-emitting equipment? Which everyday items and processes emit the most GHG? How do EPA regulatory requirements impact our operations? What is an indoor air quality investigation and why do we do it? What does “non-attainment area” mean and what operational implications does that have on our campus?