May 2025

The Office of Sustainability is proud to share Georgia Tech's new Zero Waste Resource Hub, a centralized online source for all your waste-related questions. Explore the hub for information on campus recycling and composting, reuse, and sustainable purchasing. Special thanks to Gabriella Nguyen, an Office of Sustainability Living Campus Fellow, for her help creating this resource!

Want to learn more about how Georgia Tech is advancing a circular economy on campus? Get involved below:

1. Learn how to purchase more sustainably while supporting our local economy with Georgia Tech's Sustainable Procurement Guide.

2. Sign up your event for Green Forks to reduce food waste and support students.

3. Decrease your research lab energy, water, and waste impact by working toward a My Green Lab certification. 

As part of an ongoing collaboration with fellow University System of Georgia schools, the Office of Sustainability welcomed to campus teams from Kennesaw State University, the University of Georgia, and Georgia State University. The visit featured tours of the Kendeda Building and the EcoCommons and included a discussion on Georgia Tech’s Climate Action Plan, emissions tracking, energy use, and circular economy initiatives. These peer exchanges are designed to foster shared learning and accelerate progress toward collective sustainability goals across the state.

Georgia Tech is actively working toward establishing a circular economy. This includes understanding the environmental, social, and financial impacts of the items we purchase. Luke Riley (BA '25) worked with the Office of Sustainability as a Living Campus Fellow this year to assess Georgia Tech's greenhouse gas emissions from procurement activities across multiple categories. Check out his report here. Thank you, Luke, for producing one of the most robust known procurement emissions reports for a college campus in the region to date!

Georgia Tech is working toward zero waste. Part of that effort includes increasing our composting initiatives. We are proud to share that the institute has significantly increased the amount of food waste that is diverted from the landfill since 2017. Most of that increase has been through our Georgia Tech Dining Services team. Additional food waste reduction and diversion programs that have launched over the last few years include Leanpath, RacoonEyes, and Green Forks. As we work toward our zero waste goal, we celebrate the hard work of our partners in keeping an increasing amount of material out of the landfill each year!