UGA Office of Sustainability

10/27/2025

Congratulations to UGA as the 2025 GRC Recycling Awards winner in the institutional category. Accepting the award is Mason Towe from Marla Prince, GRC 2025 President (R) and Denise Young (L), GRC Board Member.

06/23/2025

Congratulations to the inaugural cohort of UGA’s new Sustainability Leadership Program! Over the past year, these 14 staff changemakers dedicated themselves to advancing sustainability in their workplaces while growing as leaders.

This year-long program provided opportunities to build community, deepen knowledge of campus sustainability, strengthen leadership skills, and—through individualized capstone projects—create meaningful, positive change across UGA.

We’re incredibly proud of these sustainability leaders and excited to share the impact of their work in the months ahead. Stay tuned for their project highlights! Huge thanks to Bianca Jones for her outstanding internship that helped to establish this program. We couldn't have done it without you.

Annelie Klein
Graduate Programs Coordinator, College of Environment + Design

Beverly Vantine
Student Affairs Professional III, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences - Department of Marine Sciences

Bonnie Klostermann
Assistant Administrative Financial Director, Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant

Christy Tweedy
Academic Program Assistant, Odum School of Ecology

Gregory Jeffreys
Supervisor, Facilities Management Division - Waste Reduction Services

India Barfield
Executive Chef and Sustainability Representative, UGA Dining Services

Jeanette Morgan
Gifts Specialist III, UGA Libraries

Laurie Kane
Student Services Professional, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences - Department of History

Lillian Ballance
Marketing & Communications Manager, College of Engineering

Matt Mundy
Environmental Compliance Specialist, Environmental Safety Division

Megan Sheridan
Senior Procurement Specialist, Procurement

Melinda P. Pethel
IT Professional, College of Family & Consumer Sciences

S. Nicole Jones, PhD
Assessment & Accreditation Coordinator, College of Veterinary Medicine - Office of Academic Affairs

Sam Lovell
Administrative Specialist, College of Veterinary Medicine - Center for Vaccines and Immunology

Sarah Kate Hatley
Sustainability Coordinator, UGA Housing

Thank you to these leaders for helping move UGA’s sustainability mission forward. The 2025-26 Cohort #2 will be starting in September of this year through June 2026.

A cohort of University of Georgia staff completed the first-ever Sustainability Leadership Program at UGA, designed to grow leaders, build community, and create positive change.

05/31/2025

In April, UGA Facilities Management Division and UGA Dining Services were honored with the esteemed “Rot Star” award from Athens-Clarke County Solid Waste Department and UGA Extension Athens-Clarke County, for excellence in collaborative compost and food waste reduction programs at UGA! It takes a village to make meaningful change, and we are so appreciative of the efforts of FMD Building Services, Office of Sustainability Interns and staff, Dining Services, Housing, UGArden, Campus Kitchen, ACC Waste Reduction Division, and our many other partners and collaborators across campus and in ACC. We are honored to accept this award on your behalf! The golden shovel will be proudly displayed at the front of Chicopee building, as you enter Facilities Management Division.

Announcing the 2025 ROT Star Award Winners! 🌟🌱
Congratulations to UGA Facilities Management Division and UGA Dining Services for earning top honors as our leading compost contributors! From back-of-house scraps to plate waste, these teams ensure that anything edible at UGA’s dining halls is composted—not trashed. Their efforts make a huge impact in reducing landfill waste and closing the loop on food systems. ♻️🍎

04/24/2025

Celebrating one of our many sustainability inspired students here at UGA.

Sadie Eubanks works to spread the word about importance of sustainable living.

10/10/2024

We're looking for a few excellent campus sustainability ideas and the leaders to implement them! Applications are open now to current UGA students. Due November 18th. https://sustainability.uga.edu/student-programs/sustainability-grants/

10/04/2024

Campus Sustainability Grant pre-proposals open today! Grants of up to $5,000 are available to current UGA students to initiate projects that advance sustainability through education, research, service, and campus operations. Successful projects will address UGA's strategic priorities and integrate social, environmental, and economic solutions.
Special consideration will be given to campus sustainability grant proposal solutions that address Drawdown UGA climate solutions, in particular those that address solar, e-mobility, or emissions tracking projects. Projects that advance equity and incorporate the arts will also be given special consideration. Proposals are due by November 18th.

10/04/2024

Get your Native Plants on!

Thursday, October 10 | 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm
State Botanical Gardens

Join garden professionals at the Mimsie Lanier Center for on-site plant shopping. Experts will answer questions about incorporating native plants into every space, from large gardens to pots. All of our...Learn More

10/01/2024

Georgia ranks #7 in the United States in its cumulative installation of utility scale solar power. Utility-scale solar or solar farms, are large solar installations that generate electricity supplied to the grid and sold to utilities rather than directly to individual homes or businesses.

Exemplary leadership in utility solar implementation will include strategies that have the least impact to the natural environment. The Solar Farms of the Southeast Symposium will explore core tenants of such leadership including:
-Promoting dual land use for agriculture or conservation alongside solar energy production.
-Careful site selection to avoid sensitive ecosystems
-Implementing regenerative land management practices
-Ensuring wildlife protection and habitat enhancement
-Utilizing disturbed or degraded lands to reduce ecological disruption.

We invite you to join us for this important discussion on Wednesday October 23rd from 3-5pm at the UGA School of Law, Larry Walker Room. The event is free and we kindly request that you RSVP @ https://calendar.uga.edu/event/agrivoltaics-symposium-solar-farms-in-the-southeastern-united-states-ecological-impacts-energy-regulation-and-the-just-transition

09/19/2024

Congratulations to our former compost intern, Susanna Berg, on her selection by Georgia Recycling Coalition for the Connie Burns scholarship!

Congratulations to our Connie Burns scholarship winner, Susanna Berg. Susanna is a senior at UGA pursuing a degree in Agriscience with a Certificate in Sustainability. While at UGA, she interned with the Office of Sustainability, working on campus composting projects. After graduation, Susanna plans to attend graduate school to pursue a master’s degree in Agroecology.

Congratulations to Susanna! We wish you continued success.
(l-r: Board members Chris Witherspoon, Carliss Bates,Marla Prince, Susanna, and Scott Terrell)

03/20/2024

The Office of Sustainability, and our UGA faculty, service and operational partners, are honored to be recognized by President Morehead in this year's round of Presidential Interdisciplinary Seed Grants for our project "Leading Georgia’s E-Mobility Innovation: Informing Research and Decision-Making." Our goal is to establish our UGA campus as a testbed for Electric Vehicle implementation by developing data and strategies for Fleet electrification as well as strategies that support commuter adoption of EVs and other E-mobility modalities. This collaborative brings together the leading UGA departments and experts in e-vehicles, campus planning and operations and e-mobility innovation and includes: UGA Facilities Management Division, @ Terry College of Business, @ College of Engineering, @ UGA Transportation & Parking Services , and @ UGA Carl Vinson Institute of Government, Stay tuned for updates on our work! Read more about all of the 2024 Presidential Awards here, https://research.uga.edu/news/newest-round-of-presidential-interdisciplinary-seed-grants-awarded/.

Presidential Interdisciplinary Seed GrantsLeading Georgia’s E-Mobility Innovation: Informing Research and Decision-Making Post date February 15, 2024 Leading Georgia’s E-Mobility Innovation: Informing Research and Decision-Making New Frontiers Track An overall goal of this project is to establis...

02/01/2024

Tish is one of our leading thinkers in Georgia on Climate Action! This event is a great opportunity to learn about rapid changes and opportunities for climate collaboration across Georgia.