NCSU Announces New Sustainability Office

Tracy Dixon was hired in April 2008 as N.C. State University’s first Sustainability Director, establishing the University Sustainability Office. Tracy will lead, coordinate, communicate and grow N.C. State’s sustainable efforts. Tracy holds a joint Masters degree in Natural Resources and Public Administration from NC State where her research focused on measuring regional sustainability. She has extensive sustainability program experience including work in green building and energy efficiency at Advanced Energy, pollution prevention with the N.C. Department of Environment & Natural Resources, policy at the N.C. Legislature and public relations at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences. She has been involved in several local boards and community groups including Triangle Net Impact, Triangle Emerging Green Builders, NC Sustainable Energy Association, NC Green Power and Triangle Community Green Guide.

The new Sustainability Office will become the go-to resource for campus sustainability information. The office will also work closely with the Campus Environmental Sustainability Team (CEST), a group of faculty, staff and students, to create and implement a campus wide sustainability strategic plan. CEST was instrumental in creating the N.C. State University Campus Environmental Sustainability Assessment, a benchmark study showing where N.C. State currently stands on issues such as water and energy use, resource conservation, purchasing, waste management and more. This document made several recommendations to further progress towards sustainability, one being the creation of the Sustainability Office.