Top 10 ranking in 2017 for the College of Natural Resources among U.S. colleges for studying natural resources and conservation.

11 academic courses in fiscal year 2017 used the NCSU Libraries’ Alt-Textbook Project to transition from using expensive, printed textbooks to free, open source resources.

14 members of the NC State community participated in a regional workshop about integrating sustainability into curriculum.

70 students developed flood mitigation strategies for eastern N.C. communities during the College of Design’s inaugural DesignWeek.

1st research symposium hosted by NC State’s Center for Human Health and the Environment on the toll heavy metals take on human health.

11 students named Global Change Fellows by the Southeast Climate Science Center at NC State.

26 virtual reality field trip videos were created for introductory biology courses to enhance learning while eliminating the need to travel.

1st place in NCSU Libraries’ sustainability-focused multimedia contest went to student projects about climate change and Africa’s water challenges.

27 percent of Poole College of Management faculty have integrated sustainability into academic courses because of the college’s Business Sustainability Collaborative.

NC State researchers developed a strategy for fabricating more efficient plastic solar cells, as well as how to make a plastic solar cell without the use of environmentally hazardous solvents.

21,000 data points captured by air quality monitors during each NC State home football game in 2015. University researchers used this data to explore the air impacts of major sporting events.

NC State researchers developed an inverter device with greater efficiency in a smaller, lighter package – which should improve the fuel-efficiency and range of hybrid and electric vehicles.

An in-depth study of Chicago neighborhoods in 2011 and 2015 suggests that parks and greenways could play a role in reducing crime, according to NC State research.

An NC State analysis of U.S. water use over the past 30 years finds most urban areas becoming more water efficient and most rural areas becoming less and less efficient over time.

Cleaning contaminated sites can benefit the environment, but it can also benefit nearby property values, according to NC State research.

Two NC State studies found value in webcams and photos for planning. Webcams provide data about urban design, and social media photos provide data that can guide land use, conservation and development policy.

NC State researchers found that urban warming slows tree growth and photosynthesis in Raleigh-area willow oak trees.

While advanced wood-burning cookstoves can provide benefits to the environment and climate, researchers found these bene- fits are less than expected due to higher emissions measured in the field compared to lab.

NC State researchers found that teachers’ beliefs about climate change influenced students’ perceptions.

An NC State study found that corporate sustainability reporting often focuses on issues that are unimportant to stakeholders and offers suggestions to improve future reports

NC State researchers discovered how to determine the rate at which nitrate pollution makes its way from groundwater into streams, which may help predict long-term pollution in groundwater-fed streams.

NC State research found that a material which incorporates thin layers of water is able to store and deliver energy, holding promise for future energy storage technologies.

Separate NC State studies identified ways to strengthen coastal areas. Both “living shorelines” and marsh grasses were found to benefit coastal wetlands.

NC State research found that, while access to healthy foods is a challenge, the biggest variable limiting diet choices in so-called “food deserts” is limited financial resources.

250,000 N.C. residents impacted by the chemical GenX in the Cape Fear River, according to NC State research that uncovered the toxin’s presence in this major source of drinking water.

16 N.C. schools districts will work with the College of Education to redesign principal preparation programs as a way to improve education for children.

145 sustainability-related events on campus during fiscal year 2017.

58 campus events were part of NC State’s 2017 Earth Month.

46 campus events achieved sustainability certification during fiscal year 2017.

31 campus workplaces achieved sustainability certification during fiscal year 2017.

In September 2016, NC State’s Institute for Nonprofits added local social entrepreneur Aly Khalifa as the Social Entrepreneur-in-Residence through 2018.

Cooperative Extension piloted a program teaching elementary school students about integrated pest management (IPM), an approach that minimizes risks to human health, beneficial organisms and the environment.

NC State’s historic Build-A-Block project with Habitat for Humanity resulted in 11 new homes for families in need of quality, affordable housing.

The Wolfpack Citizen Science Challenge joined researchers and community members in placing camera traps across the natural landscape, recording hundreds of animals on campus and in the Raleigh area.

Thirteen sustainability projects will be implemented on campus in fiscal year 2018 thanks to $179,000 in grants from the NC State Sustainability Fund.

• Roof-top garden on Talley Student Union
• Solar-powered athletic scoreboards
• On-campus composting facility
• Composting program in Wolf Village Apartments
• Student development of solar-powered vehicle
• Solitary bee nesting habitats
• Expansion of a student-built aquaponics system
• Research on healthy urban trees
• Make-a-thon, a sustainability innovation competition
• Campus disposal bin for prescription medications
• Two improvement projects at student SOUL Garden
• Educational campaign about food sustainability

33 student teams entered the Social Impact category of the Lulu eGames, NC State’s entrepreneurship competition. The category winner, Viemetrics, developed a low-cost, portable device to predict asthma attacks.

3 N.C. nonprofit organizations received mini-grants from NC State’s Center for Human Health and the Environment in fiscal year 2017 to address community environmental issues including air quality and lead.

In fall 2016, Staff Senate and College of Textiles students both held clothing drives that helped low-income families while also reducing clothing waste in landfills.

NC State’s McKimmon Center for Extension and Continuing Education offered the following:

• 15 McKimmon Center sustainability-related events or conferences engaging 1,863 participants
• 39 sustainability-related events for members of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (ages 55 )
• 15 sustainability-related professional development courses
• 248 additional sustainability-related events engaging 11,500 people in areas of N.C. beyond Raleigh

32,080 pounds of reusable material and 1,300 pounds of food were donated by students during residence hall move out. Donations went to a local nonprofit and the campus Feed The Pack food pantry.

Student Mallory Barrett won Best Student Design in the Cradle to Cradle Product Design Challenge for designing a reusable prescription medication bottle.

700 students at a school in Sierra Leone received clean drinking water access in December 2016 due to the work of NC State’s Engineers Without Borders student chapter.

10 students participated in NC State’s second annual tour of environmental justice issues in North Carolina.

1st place went to NC State in an energy and water conservation competition versus Clemson University. Residents of the Tri-Towers residence halls most reduced utility use through this competition organized by the NC State Stewards student leaders.

Student Hanan “Alex” Hsain presented her award-winning sustainable energy research at the 2016 Appalachian Energy Summit. In 2017, she was named a Truman Scholar.

300 attendees at FoodCon, a November 2016 sustainable food conference at NC State organized by students.

70 students participated in B Corps Clinic helping more than a dozen sustainability-minded local companies pursue B Corps certification.

NC State student volunteers with SciBridge sent kits to African students, allowing them to conduct their own sustainable energy research experiments.

With a grant from NC State’s Sustainability Fund, students created a cotton composting program for cotton waste generated at the College of Textiles.

Students participated in sustainability-related service projects as part of the student-led Service Raleigh event.

Student-led Food Recovery Network redistributed perishable leftovers from campus dining halls to local nonprofit organizations serving the homeless.

73 students participated in NC State Alternative Service Break trips that were sustainability-related.

NC State earned new LEED Silver certifications for Reynolds Coliseum (2017) and Close King Indoor Practice Facility (2016). The university has 15 LEED-certified buildings totaling more than 1 million square feet.

$123,364 of energy costs avoided during NC State’s 2016 Summer Classroom Energy Saving Initiative.

$294,537 of energy costs avoided during NC State’s 2017 Winter Holiday Energy Saving Initiative.

A reclaimed water system installed in February 2017 collects condensate from Cates Utility Plant and reroutes that water for use in the facility’s cooling towers, producing $6,000 in avoided water costs annually.

Six new campus stormwater control measures were installed during 2017 fiscal year, adding to the 136 existing campus stormwater controls.

LED fixtures and occupancy motion sensors installed in March 2017 in a College of Textiles student lab are expected to save $4,700 annually in avoided energy costs, providing a return on investment in less than six years.

10,000 wild bees on campus were rescued in July 2016 and moved to another area of campus, demonstrating NC State’s commitment to saving pollinators.

750 milkweed plants were added in June 2017 to NC State’s Lonnie Poole Golf Course to restore monarch butterflies, a pollinator whose population is dwindling.

A student-designed aquaponics system grew tomatoes and salad greens in Talley Student Union in fall 2016. The 800-gallon system, which features a tank of up to 15 fish as well as soil-less planting containers, was moved in spring 2017 to the Oval restaurant on Centennial Campus.

3,648 pounds of produce was grown in 2016 on NC State’s Agroecology Education Farm for use in campus dining halls.

34,440 pounds of paper was shredded and recycled at the annual campus recycling drive in March 2017. Also recycled: 10,590 pounds of electronics, 440 pounds of cardboard and 1,000 pounds of rigid plastic.

NC State Athletics and the Waste Reduction and Recycling Office expanded composting throughout Carter-Finley Stadium for the 2016 home football season, resulting in 8,920 pounds of compostable material diverted from landfills. Additionally, recyclables topped 63,280 pounds.

New Zero Waste Workplaces add composting stations, replace deskside trash cans with mini waste bins and add additional self-service recycling and landfill sorting stations throughout three buildings participating in the pilot program.

In 2016, NC State’s Grounds Management began using a new line of electric lawn care equipment, which reduces noise and air pollution.

667 participants in WolfTrails, NC State’s alternative commuting program for employees and students.

5,058 GoPasses (regional transit cards) were issued with total ridership of 281,881 trips.

183,524 gallons of fuel used by the Facilities Division, one of the university’s largest fleets.

Tons of campus material recycled, composted, reused and landfilled:

• 4,714 landfilled
• 2,255 composted
• 1,848 recycled
• 265 reused