Pitt Sustainability

50 BILLION plastic bottles. That's how many Americans purchase every year.

Here's what happens when you switch to reusable:

✔️ Save $260+ annually
✔️ Avoid 90K microplastics/year
✔️ Support Pitt's goal: 25% less landfill waste by 2030
✔️ Get free refills across campus (every building has a fountain!)

Learn more on our website and then come to the campus water quality town hall Tuesday, Feb 17, in WPU 540: https://www.sustainable.pitt.edu/news/make-switch-5-reasons-use-reusable-water-bottle

Just 5 DAYS left!!!

Pitt Sustainability Award nominations are due on Monday, February 16, and we are waiting for YOUR nomination!

You can nominate students, staff, faculty, groups – you can even nominate yourself! – for outstanding contributions and achievements in campus sustainability. Help us honor all of the incredible folks making Pitt more sustainable and make a nomination by Monday: bit.ly/PSAwards2026

We don’t play favorites, but fall might be the prettiest season on Pitt’s campus! 🍂

Join Tree Pittsburgh and Pitt Sustainability this Thursday, October 9, at 12 pm or 3 pm for a guided fall walk around campus to soak in the season’s colors and discover the science and wonder behind our trees. Learn why leaves change color, how trees spread their seeds, and even try your hand at seed collection.

🍁 Bonus: After the walk, stop by the conText Lab at Hillman Library at 4 pm to make a beautiful monoprint of a leaf you collected on your trek!

Register here: https://calendar.pitt.edu/search/events?event_types%5B%5D=7280

Looking for a fall activity that lets you flex your creativity? Join in a tree walk around campus, learn trivia about the species on campus, and collect leaves to make beautiful prints at the conText Lab.

🍁Details and registration in the link in our bio

You've arrived, everything is unpacked and organized—now what now what to do with all the cardboard boxes?

📦♻️ Don’t toss it in a dumpster, recycle it! Bring your cardboard to your Welcome Station and Arrival workers will ensure it stays out of the landfill.

During Arrival last year, over 32,020 pounds of cardboard were recycled! That is the same weight as 132,036,615 bees 🐝 or 2.4 elephants 🐘

Don't let a tight budget stop you from creating a room that is absolutely bussin'. Shop for dorm essentials including décor, kitchen items, laundry needs, electronics and more at University of Thriftsburgh’s 2025 Reuse Rummage Sale. Did we mention everything is under $30? 🪞👕🍽️🌂 👢

🏢 O'Hara Student Center
🕓 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
📆 Aug 16, 17 and Aug 23, 24

The healthcare industry exists to improve human health, but it also produces 8.5% of greenhouse gas emissions and is the #2 contributor to landfill waste.

We’re working to change that with the Sustainability in Healthcare Challenge.

Submit your ideas to help make healthcare more environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable.

$125,000 in funding available:
• 1 project will receive $50,000
• Up to 3 others will receive $25,000 each
• Plus: Up to 2 $2,500 student mini-grants for student-led sustainability competitions or challenges

Round 1 applications are due September 5, 2025

Presented by the Office of Sustainability in the Health Sciences, the Office of Multidisciplinary Innovations, and the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation.

Learn more and apply here: https://ctsi.pitt.edu/funding/funding-opportunities/sustainability-in-healthcare-challenge/

🌳 Why do mature trees need to retire?

If you notice a few trees missing near the Cathedral this fall, don’t worry. Pitt is committed to keeping our campus green! Many of these trees were planted decades ago and have reached the end of their natural lifespan. When issues like root rot, disease, or storm damage make them unsafe, removal is necessary.

Pitt’s Campus Tree Advisory Committee ensures all tree care follows best practices while we work toward:

✔ Replacing every tree removed and achieving a net increase in canopy
✔ Maintaining healthy, diverse tree populations across campus
✔ Supporting Pittsburgh’s urban canopy to improve air quality and reduce heat islands

Learn more about our commitment to trees here: sustainable.pitt.edu/campus-culture/facilities/landscape-ecology.

Pitt has cut greenhouse gas emissions by 37.3% since 2008.

The University’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory shows we’re on track to meet our climate goals, marking 10 years of emissions tracking on the Pittsburgh campus.

Pitt is progressing toward a 50% reduction by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2037. In Fiscal Year 2024, the biggest emissions sources were electricity, steam, and air travel, with notable gains in renewable energy use and reductions in commuting emissions.

Read the report: https://www.sustainable.pitt.edu/pitt-ghg-inventory-fiscal-year-2024/