July 2024

Dr. Jairo Garcia joins the Office of Sustainability this fall semester to help develop an Institute-wide Climate Resilience Plan for Georgia Tech, supported by Sustainability Next. The Plan will build upon the Climate Action Plan and a preliminary Climate Vulnerability Assessment that Jairo developed last year in collaboration with the Office of Sustainability and with his master's students in the School of City and Regional Planning.

As an advisory member of the American Public Health Association Center for Climate, Health, and Equity, Jairo recently spoke during a US Congressional briefing to educate legislators on the health risks of extreme heat and participated in the National Academies of Sciences Climate Summit. He was the former director of climate policy and renewables for the City of Atlanta and currently conducts research on urban development, urban heat, and climate policy. 

Dr. Allison Bridges, Drawdown Georgia Business Compact program manager in the Ray C. Anderson Center for Sustainable Business, will also contribute to the development of the Plan.

The Office of Sustainability is recruiting individuals to join Climate Action Plan implementation committees. These groups will meet monthly to share on-the-ground expertise to help implement the 30 strategies in the Georgia Tech Climate Action Plan. Current Georgia Tech faculty, staff, and students are invited to join. 

The Office of Sustainability hosted four student interns this summer, including three who joined us through the Serve-Learn-Sustain Sustainable Communities Summer Internship Program. They completed projects on campus air quality, sustainability data modeling and visualization, and zero waste processes. 

In his 25-year career at Georgia Tech, Executive Director of Infrastructure Greg Spiro has spearheaded impactful energy and water efficiency projects and directly contributed to the Institute's emissions reductions. He is currently leading Georgia Tech's Utilities Master Plan effort, supporting a key strategy in the Climate Action Plan to electrify heating and cooling through the implementation of large-scale industrial heat pumps. Thanks for all you do, Greg!

Students joining the iGniTe program's sustainability track this summer, co-organized by Associate Director of Sustainability Engagement Drew Cutright, were immersed in Georgia Tech's sustainability offerings from their first days on campus. iGniTe is Georgia Tech’s summer program for incoming first-year students, allowing them to get a head start on class credits and an orientation to life at Georgia Tech during June and July. 

Forty students joined the program's sustainability track; however, students in any track were invited to join for tours and a workday in Georgia Tech’s community gardens and for a bee-themed lunch and learn. Through their GT1000 courses and through the sustainability track events, students can engage with sustainability at Georgia Tech.

Want to learn the science behind climate change and explore solutions with a fun, interactive activity? The Office of Sustainability offers Climate FRESK workshops throughout the year.

Climate Fresk is an interactive, collaborative card game that helps participants understand the causes and effects of climate change.

Interested in attending a workshop? Fill out our Climate Fresk Attendance Interest Form to request a workshop or be notified about upcoming opportunities.

Is your Georgia Tech organization's newsletter missing? Email us at sustain@gatech.edu to be added to our list.

The summer months bring heat that can be dangerous to those working and playing outdoors. Explore these Georgia Tech heat safety resources and upcoming training opportunities to protect yourself and others: