Top 10 Sustainability Tips for Students

Our top list of campus resources for a sustainable year at Georgetown.



1. Get Networked Connect with Student Sustainability Groups on Campus

Georgetown is home to over a dozen student clubs and organizations addressing sustainability and environmental topics. Start with the link below to learn more and get involved!

2. Save from the Start: Top 10 Ways to Save Energy on Campus

Recent data shows that a building’s occupants can cut its energy use by up to 12% just through simple every-day actions. Help Georgetown slash our carbon footprint and save valuable natural resources by following these ten simple tips!

3. Hydrate! Where to Fill Your Water Bottle on Campus

When you carry a reusable bottle on campus, you help reduce waste – and you can fill up on water at any sink, fountain, bottle-filling station or Corp cafe (just ask!). For a map of GU’s filtered water bottle filling stations across campus, visit:

4. Getting Around DC Without a Car

Getting around Washington, DC without a car is a breeze for Georgetown students, thanks to the the city’s extensive transit and bicycle networks, and the campus’s free shuttle buses and convenient access to BikeShare, and Zipcar.

5. How to Recycle on Campus

At Georgetown, recycling is our standard. We know that recycling practices can vary from state to state, city to city and even from one building to another in the same town, so we’ve produced a simple one-stop shop where you can find out how to recycle on campus, Hoya style!

6. Healthy, Fresh, Local: Finding Sustainable Food on Campus and in DC

Whether you’re dining on campus or exploring DC, sustainable food choices are never hard to find. Check out these resources below to learn more:

On Campus:

In DC:

  • Check out this DC Food Guide from eatwellguide.org featuring restaurants, bakeries, farmers markets and other options for sustainable dining around the region.

7. Take a Sustainability Class

The university offers over 80 courses related to sustainability, taught by departments across campus. Explore these resources to find a course (and be sure to check the course catalog regularly for the most up-to-date information!):

8. Connect with Faculty

Over your four years on campus, Georgetown’s faculty will be your teachers, your mentors, and maybe even your future job references or employers, so building relationships with them is a great idea. Georgetown has an incredible roster of faculty from departments across campus with interest and expertise in sustainability. Explore the links below to find and connect with faculty members who share your interest in this field:

9. Engage Sustainability from an Integrated and Holistic Approach

At Georgetown, we pursue sustainability as a “quadruple bottom line” – people, planet, prosperity and purpose, driven by our Catholic and Jesuit heritage and our commitment to the common good. Inherent in the concept of sustainability is the idea of improving the quality of life for all people, while preserving the planet’s natural life support systems.

Explore the links below to find out how Georgetown’s Jesuit values and core mission compel us to pursue sustainability:

Catholic and Jesuit Faith and Ecology:

Campus Resources on Social Justice and Sustainability:

  • Georgetown’s Center for Social Justice (CSJ) offers numerous programs for students to explore connections between ecology, communities and justice:
  • Many Alternative Breaks Programs explore environmental justice topics across the country
  • The Georgetown University Social Innovation and Public Service (SIPS) Fund is a $1.5 million student-run fund that allocates grants and helps provide the resources for student and alumni social ventures. SIPS considers sustainability-related projects as a theme among their applicants and grantees. 

Sustainability and Global Social Justice:

10. Know Your Impact!

In the world of sustainability, they say you can’t manage what you don’t measure. Our individual impacts on the planet are no exception! Here are three simple tools to help you get started and calculate the size of your environmental footprint: