Sustainability

"Then I say the earth belongs to each … generation during its course, fully and in its own right, no generation can contract debts greater than may be paid during the course of its own existence." -- Thomas Jefferson, September 6, 1789

"Sustainability is an economic state where the demands placed upon the environment by people and commerce can be met without reducing the capacity of the environment to provide for future generations." – Paul Hawken, "The Ecology of Commerce", 1993

University Housing understands the meaning of sustainability in the quotes above. With this understanding we strive to ensure that the University and its students are working towards a point where we no longer utilize the resources of the earth at a level more than we require, and to ensure the resources are sufficient for the next generation of students and many more to follow.

University Housing is committed to protecting the environment and is working with the Sustainable Universities Initiative (SUI) and the School of the Environment (SOE) to make Housing a national leader in developing a sustainable community. The goal is to develop University Housing into a sustainable community and to use its success as an example of sustainability for the rest of campus and other schools in the region. These efforts are also supported by the commitment and work of Housing’s Custodial Staff, Maintenance personnel, Residence Life and other campus departments such as Facility Services.

Efforts towards sustainability include recycling, purchasing environmentally sound products, energy and water conservation, alternative fuel vehicles, greening of residence halls, and annual efforts such as Move In and the Take It or Leave It program during Move out and the new "Green Dorm".

Links:
Sustainable Universities Initiative (SUI): www.sc.edu/sustainableu
School of Environment (SOE): www.environ.sc.edu
University of South Carolina Environmental Advisory Committee: www.sc.edu/EAC/
National Wildlife Fderation’s Campus Ecology: www.nwf.org/campusecology