University of Virginia
EN-3: Student Life

UVA students across Grounds are passionately pursuing initiatives to make the University a more environmentally responsible and sustainable place. Over forty sustainability-minded, Contracted Independent Organizations (CIOs) led by students approach sustainability from every angle, from responsibly sourced food in dining halls to initiating university divestment from fossil fuels:

Alpha Phi Omega

APO is a gender-inclusive, student-run service fraternity following the three cardinal principles of leadership, friendship and service. Many of their service projects are focused on environmental efforts.

American Institute of Architecture Students at UVA

AIAS is a national, student-run organization that diversifies architectural education. Here at the UVA School of Architecture, our chapter provides professional, service, social, leadership, and travel opportunities. Our mission is to provide a more sustainable, healthy, and equitable future through the empowerment of student voices, ideas, and actions. In recent events, we have introduced students to various professional development workshops, hearing from local architecture firms and practicing architects about their experiences in the architecture and design-related disciplines.

Animal Justice Advocates at UVa

Animal Justice Advocates at UVA is an organization that upholds students as valued participants in our education, committed to “leading lives of honor." The UVA Honor Committee frames our honor code as one that “calls us to be honorable to each other not merely by not committing transgressions, but also by doing reverence to the other in our midst.” The Education Without Violence campaign takes this commitment to revere “the other in our midst” seriously as we challenge our university not only to divest from violence against animals, but also to become a leader in progressive and compassionate education. Moving forward with great hope in the university, we are nonetheless mindful of the university’s history of oppression, and while committed to and focused on issues specific to animals, we aim to promote an understanding of the intersections of systems of oppression affecting animals, humans, and the environment. At a university founded on the principle of student governance, it is our responsibility as students to insist that the pursuit of knowledge be rooted in compassion; the alternative is a university grounded in oppression.

Clean Law Pledge UVA

The Clean Law Pledge (CLP) is a law student-led organization that aims to shift the legal industry away from fossil fuel work and towards more renewable energy work.

CVille Solar Project

Understanding the inaccessibility of renewable energy in this current day and age, the CVille Solar Project works to ensure that members of the Charlottesville community can both embrace renewables and benefit from them. Through training its members to conduct solar surveys, create site plans, and wire up solar arrays, the CVille Solar Project works to greatly reduce the cost of solar energy through DIY methods. Moreover, through its committee Project Policy and Marketing & Outreach, the CVille Solar Project works to influence legislation of an environmental nature and widen the renewable energy space through understanding the renewable energy market.

Darden Energy Club

It is the mission of the Darden Energy Club to assist the Darden student body in gathering information about and facilitating employment in energy-related companies.

Following from this Mission Statement, the Darden Energy Club has set the following list of objectives:

To promote, organize and host annual speaker panels focused on issues related to the energy industry.
To help students learn more about the energy industry and to identify career opportunities in this industry.
To build and enhance Darden's reputation as an institution which provides students and faculty with opportunities to work in and learn about the energy industry.
To promote the discussion of energy-related topics by integrating cases and speakers into the First Year and Second Year course curriculum.
To build and maintain strong relationships with Darden alumni working in the energy industry.

Darden Food and Agribusiness Club at UVA

The mission of the Food and Agribusiness Club at Darden is to bring students together to learn and grow their knowledge of agribusiness in the wider business community. We will cultivate curiosity, rooted in sustainability, through lasting learning experiences.

DivestUVA

Divest UVA is a group of students pushing for the University to divest its endowment from the fossil fuel industry. We host educational events, fundraise for environmental causes, lobby UVA admin, engage in direct action, and have social events!

Ducks Unlimited chapter at the University of Virginia

Ducks Unlimited at the University of Virginia is a collegiate chapter of DU, a nonprofit organization 501 dedicated to the conservation of wetlands and associated upland habitats for waterfowl, other wildlife, and people. Each year the executive committee plans and orchestrates a banquet at King Family Vineyards with dinner, a live auction, a raffle, and more fun activities. Last fall, we raised over $49,000 from sponsors and from our event that went directly towards wetlands conservation.

Earth Cups at UVA

Earth Cups is a UVA student-formed start-up company that offers plant-based, compostable cups as a sustainable replacement for the plastic red solo cup. The club provides resources and information to members on environmental issues, tactics to influence behavior, and
strategies to run a startup. Additionally, the club provides members an opportunity for open discussion about Climate Change and how we can make an impact. Finally, Earth Cups encourages UVA students to consider the impact of their actions, specifically targeting plastic-usage, and pushes them to consider using sustainable alternatives.

Enactus at University of Virginia

Enactus at UVA is a project-driven organization that focuses on making a positive impact on the local community by using business and problem-solving skills. Every year, we host 4-6 projects that engage in consulting with a local client/small business and/or self-source projects to serve a local group or interest. Outside of our projects, we plan programs and events to enhance members' skills and perspectives. We aim to use the knowledge and skills of our members to help others live an environmentally sustainable lifestyle, achieve economic prosperity, and improve their quality of life and standard of living through a business-driven lens.

Environmental Sciences Organization

The Environmental Sciences Organization (ESO) provides a link between the Environmental Sciences Department and the students of the University. While the organization is mainly geared toward undergraduate majors and minors in the department, it has its share of members from many different disciplines of the University. However, all members have one thing in common--an interest in the Environmental Sciences. ESO aims to aid students in becoming more involved in and educated about the Environmental Sciences Department. Members are provided with many opportunities to get to know the professors in the department as well as what the department has to offer outside of a major or minor. One of the organization's core components is the aid, advice, and support that members have to offer each other about courses, activities, and resources within the department. ESO is able to do this through its many activities such as peer advising about courses, seminars about the department and professions in the Environmental sciences, and career and job search resources. Other enjoyable activities sponsored by ESO include the department barbeque, hiking trips, canoe trips, whitewater rafting, and a variety of fun outdoor activities. All University students are welcome to join and participate in any activity.

Environmental Justice Collective

This organization was created because we felt that such a space for BIPOC was lacking on grounds, and in the environmental justice world more generally, and decided to create one for ourselves. In doing so, we aim to provide mutual education and build a sense of community that fosters action. Through direct action, community building, and mutual education, EJC strives to provide a safe space for students of color and the larger UVA community to discuss environmental injustice in the United States and globally.

Epsilon Eta Upsilon

The purpose of Epsilon Eta is to create a networking environment that enables members to utilize the fraternity’s resources as they pursue their postgraduate plans in environmental fields. We seek to add to the resources for students pursuing environmental careers in the greater University of Virginia community. In this process we strive to foster a conscious awareness of the intrinsic relationship between people and their environment through academics, the community, service, and camaraderie.

Extinction Club

Extinction Club is a project-based environmental advocacy group that combines aspects of research, community engagement, art, and engineering to tackle the problem of biodiversity loss and extinction at UVA and beyond. We function as a small, closely-knit working group where everyone's voice is important and tackle projects on time spans from several weeks to multiple years. The Extinction Club is established for the expressed purpose of:
Researching biodiversity loss and environmental degradation with the purpose of understanding our role in extinction within the anthropocene.
Engaging with UVA as a living laboratory to explore these issues and reconnect students with the local environment.
Raising awareness of and documenting the current extinction crisis through aesthetic campaigns.
Reducing the practices which exacerbate the current extinction crisis on Grounds.
Encouraging the community to be mindful of the environment and take action to preserve it.

FeelGood at UVA

Do you like grilled cheese? Come join UVA's chapter of FeelGood, a national movement that brings college students together across the country to sustainably fight global poverty and hunger one grilled cheese at a time! We make our sandwiches fresh at delis every Sunday night outside Clem, and all proceeds go to The Hunger Project.

Food Assist

Food Assist is a club of University of Virginia students who volunteer to drive food donations from local restaurants and University organizations to feed those in need. Members combat hunger and excessive waste by recovering unused food from events and donating it to local soup kitchens.

Futures in Fashion Association

The purpose of Futures in Fashion Association is to present the University of Virginia with a forum to connect all UVA students interested in the fashion industry. Through regular meetings, organized speakers, and fashion education and career-related events, FFA works to create an open dialogue between UVA students interested in fashion and industry professionals to raise awareness within the student body about working in the fashion industry. FFA promotes sustainable habits in fashion. You may know us from our semesterly thrift shop where we sell over 1,000 items or from our fashion shows at the Fralin.

Global Development Organization

The Global Development Organization exists at UVA to foster a community of students interested in and able to reduce global poverty and inequality and to make globalization work for the poor. How do we do this? Through an event series (of speakers, discussions and debates, career panels, presentations, etc.), research support, the global studies department, and public service events that pertain to global development.

Global Problems, Local Solutions at UVA

We strive to address prevalent global issues at a local level through education, service, and advocacy. We hope through every act working in Charlottesville, we can show empathy to better understand issues from a global perspective. Recently we have worked on issues such as sustainability, period poverty, and food insecurity within both the UVA community and the community of Charlottesville.

Greener Housing Coalition

The Greener Housing Coalition is an organization started by UVA students in 2020, as an effort aimed at making off-grounds student housing more sustainable. While the university has a stated goal to become carbon neutral by 2030 and fossil fuel free by 2050, off-grounds student
housing is not under the purview of the university. Yet, 70% of UVA students live off-grounds, in residences with significant greenhouse gas profiles. The student-led Greener Housing Coalition seeks to mirror the university’s progress towards reducing the climate impact of its operations, by focusing upon the emissions of student residences in the Charlottesville community.

Greens to Grounds

We are a non-profit, student-run CSA (community supported agriculture) model bringing fresh, local produce and specialty items to the UVA community. We strive to foster a more sustainable relationship between UVA and Charlottesville food producers. We seek to provide students, faculty, and staff with access to fresh, seasonal, and local food on a weekly basis, while providing local farmers and artisans with dedicated support from the University community. Join us in eating well, supporting Central Virginia farmers, and celebrating local food.

Growing for Change

Growing for Change works to develop stronger social ties with Westhaven public housing through collaborative efforts in creating individual gardens, tackling issues of limited space. We seek to provide access to nutritional foods and gardening programs.

Habitat for Humanity Club at the University of Virginia

Habitat for Humanity first began in 1976 on a small farm outside of Americus, Georgia. It was Linda and Millard Fuller’s dream to ensure that everyone had a decent place to place to live. Now, more than forty years later, Habitat for Humanity has partnered with more than thirteen million families and works in “nearly 1,400 communities across the United States of America and seventy countries [around the world].” This growth has been in no small part to the personal investment of former US President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn, Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, and the tireless volunteers that work to make this dream a reality.

However, we are not done yet. According to the Albemarle County Housing Advisory Committee, more than 3,000 homes in the Charlottesville area qualify as “substandard,” with more than half of these homes being owned or occupied by low-income families that are unable to afford repairs. Families in this situation are able to apply to become partners with their local affiliate of Habitat for Humanity. As a partner family, they will invest hundreds of hours, called “sweat equity hours,” into building their home and their neighbors’ homes alongside other volunteers, while also receiving “holistic housing counseling and homebuyer education classes [that will] help [them] build savings and improve their financial health in preparation for successful homeownership.”

At the Habitat for Humanity Club at the University of Virginia, it is our mission to work side-by-side with the homeowner as they seek to fulfill their dream of creating a strong, stable foundation for themselves and for their families. We do this by volunteering on the build-site weekly, fundraising money, going on seasonal trips, and advocating for policy change at a local and national level.

Hoos Littering

Participate in weekly trash cleanups at the Corner, Mad Bowl, JPA, and other locations on and off Grounds, followed by a trip to Bodo’s.

iGEM at UVA

We are a student-run research team and synthetic biology interest group. Every year, we select a new team from our pool of applicants; those applicants will participate in the International Genetic Engineering Machine competition through Spring semester, Summer and Fall. Team members work together to discover problems that can be solved using synthetic biology, design and engineering solutions to those problems, and implement functional prototypes of those solutions that will be presented in October during the iGEM Conference in Boston.

Lorax Society

The Lorax Society aims to promote conservation practices and raise awareness about the ongoing loss of tree cover in Charlottesville. In the first months of its existence, over 20 members of the club volunteered at a successful planting event and the club has more environmentally-friendly oriented plans for the future.

Marine Science Society

The purpose of this organization is to inform the University of Virginia community of marine science happenings. In the past, group events included faculty and professional presentations, hiking trips, weekend visits to the Eastern Shore for whale watching and aquarium exploration, and volunteer work with the Rivanna Conservation Alliance. This semester we hope to continue as many of our in person social activities as possible, including socially distanced movie nights and a Rivanna river cleanup party! We'll be adapting as the semester goes on, but will continue to keep all our members updated on marine science opportunities on Grounds or in Charlottesville. Join our roster, hope to meet you soon!

Morven Kitchen Garden

The Morven Kitchen Garden (MKG) is part of UVA’s Morven Programs and provides opportunities for students to directly participate in sustainable agriculture from seed, to market, to plate.

At MKG’s one-acre garden, UVA students learn, lead, and connect through sustainably growing food. Students grow and tend vegetables, flowers, herbs, and bees. Produce sales through a CSA program and to UVA Dining support the garden programs and provide further learning opportunities. MKG is located thirteen miles from grounds at UVA’s Morven, a 2,913 acre farm owned by the UVA Foundation.

There are many ways for UVA students to be involved!

Learn – Educational garden opportunities include semester and summer internships, weekly workdays, class visits, student academic projects, and seasonal events.

Lead – MKG Exec, the garden’s student leadership team, advises, promotes, and connects the garden to grounds. Exec meets weekly each semester and is open to any interested UVA student.

Connect – Opportunities to directly engage with the garden, the local food system, and the local Charlottesville Community include garden workdays, garden tours, our CSA program, and events like Gazpacho in the Garden.

All UVA students are welcome to join us! No gardening experience required.

Net Impact @ Darden

Net Impact at Darden strives to inspire, educate and equip individuals to use the power of business to create a more socially and environmentally sustainable world. Our members share a passion for corporate responsibility, social enterprises, nonprofit management, community and international development and environmental sustainability. We are part of a global network with more than 300 chapters on six continents and thousands of student and professional members.

Although this organization has members who are University of Virginia students and may have University employees associated or engaged in its activities and affairs, the organization is not a part of or an agency of the University. It is a separate and independent organization which is responsible for and manages its own activities and affairs. The University does not direct, supervise or control the organization and is not responsible for the organization’s contracts, acts or omissions.

Net Impact at the University of Virginia

Net Impact focuses on the intersection of sustainability, social impact, and business. We aim to create a positive impact on Grounds by raising awareness of careers in sustainability, educating students by offering events such as dinner series with Professors and panels with business leaders, providing a community for like-minded individuals, and equipping students with the necessary tools to intertwine business with sustainability and social impact.

Outdoors Club at Darden

The mission of the Outdoors Club at Darden is to bring people together in the outdoors. We lead outdoor trips and activities that offer opportunities to relax, laugh, and build a more inclusive community. We believe that connecting outside of the classroom is essential to developing lifelong friendships amongst the many diverse groups at Darden.

There’s no doubt that the first-year experience at Darden can be intense—with its unrelenting wave of cases, cold calls, and recruiting—but the DOC exists to help students enjoy our time in business school and to strengthen our student community outside the Darden classroom. Once at Darden, I know you will find that the Outdoors Cub is more than an “outdoors” club. Many of my fondest memories from first year took place with friends and classmates I met through DOC events.

Charlottesville and the surrounding region boasts both stunning and accessible terrain for adventurers at every level of the outdoorsy/earthy-crunchy spectrum. Humpback Rocks is the most popular hike not far from Darden Grounds. This 3-mile out-and-back trail has become a mainstay for Darden students, as it’s located only 45 minutes away in the Blue Ridge Mountains. To me, Humpback offers the best view-per-mile (*not an official statistic) of the lower Shenandoah Valley. A bit farther away is Shenandoah National Park, which boasts Virginia’s most famous “Old Rag” hike. This 7-miler is a bit of a full-day hike, featuring tight rock scrambles and a majestic view from the top.

Only steps from Darden Grounds is the Rivanna Trail, which loops all-around Charlottesville and makes for great trail running or nature walks. On any given day, you’re likely to run into Darden students criss-crossing the path given its easy access from Ivy Garden, Huntington, and Pav apartments.

Outdoors Club at UVA, Ltd.

Outdoors at UVa is a group of students and community members united by their desire to enjoy and create community around outdoor activities with friends, while promoting safety and environmental preservation, giving back and developing leadership skills.

During the 2019-20 School year alone, club members led over 270 trips! This is especially impressive given that the school year was cut so short. Outdoors at UVa facilitates such outdoor excursions as hiking, camping, backpacking, rock climbing, mountain biking, fly fishing, trail running, canoeing, kayaking, caving, skiing, snowboarding, and certain other suggestions that come our way.

We have a large and active membership — nearly 500 active members. Most of our members are University of Virginia students, but we have many community and alumni members as well. As a member, you'll receive emails when someone “creates an adventure”, and you can use our website – the club’s central resource - to see what's planned. You'll sign up online whenever you see an adventure you like. You can go on as many or as few adventures as you wish. Most adventures have no participation fee and are fully reimbursed for gas costs.

Another huge benefit of joining our club is having access to club gear for free! We have lots of high quality gear for backpacking, camping, mountain biking, climbing (trad and sport), kayaking, and much more. Members can see what gear is available online, and visit our gear room during regular hours during the semester.

Membership is contingent upon payment of dues and signing a waiver releasing Outdoors at UVa from liability for any harm or injury sustained on an Outdoors at UVa facilitated excursion. Individuals are then given access to the club website, where they can sign up for trips.

Outdoors at Virginia Law

Outdoors at Virginia Law is committed to enhancing the law school experience by organizing local outdoor excursions such as nature walks, hikes, caving, rafting, climbing, skiing and snow-shoeing. OVAL aims to help students achieve a balanced approach to life and the study of law.

Platypus Affiliated Society at UVA

The Platypus Affiliated Society at UVA officially formed in February, 2022. Its originates from the international Platypus Affiliated Society, which was founded in December 2006. It organizes reading groups, public fora, research and journalism focused on problems and tasks inherited from the Old, New, and post-political Left, and works towards the possibilities of emancipatory politics today. A student-led initiative at UVA sought to participate in its education and debate of leftists history and ideas, hence the founding of its chapter at UVA (us).

The Platypus Affiliated Society at UVA is established for the expressed purpose of education concerning the history of the international liberal and socialist lefts. We intend to clarify possibilities for liberalism and the left in future and promote an energetic environment for debate and critique of liberalism and the left in the present. We will foster the next generation of liberal and leftist thinkers and critics as well as provide a safe space for discussion of views across the political spectrum, regardless of popularity.

Plant Club At UVA

The UVA Plant club is focused on connecting fellow plant enthusiasts across the UVA community, and giving them a place where they can show off their collections, give advice to others, create a centralized catalog, and more. At our meetings members are strongly encouraged to bring their plants, extra nursery pots, and cuttings they would like to give away. At our meetings we will also have a short care presentation or plant showcase presentation by one of our members. We are creating a central catalog of all unique plants that our members have, so please update us when you get a new plant!

Profit With Purpose

At Profit with Purpose we teach by doing. Beyond teaching core fundamentals, and connecting members with professionals in the impact investing industry, we hope to simulate the investment process. Our initiative looks for members from all majors, aims at helping beginners and experienced impact investing enthusiasts, and seeks to work closely with all other social entrepreneurship ventures on Grounds. We hope to provide alternative career opportunities for students who are passionate about social, environmental, and financial impact.

Ultimately, PwP is building the impact investing network UVA lacks, and eventually will create a fund alongside our educational program to give members real world experience with investing in mission-driven startups.

Society of Sustainability

The Society for Sustainability (SoS) is a student-led organization aimed at improving the sustainability practices of the University of Virginia’s Architecture School. SoS aims to host space for dialogue on the environment, sustainable practice, and ethical engagement as designers. SoS advocates for specific student concerns by collaborating with faculty and administrators, developing action plans, and hosting events aimed at bettering our impact on the environment and communities around the University.

Solar Car Team at UVA

Solar Car Team at UVA is a chartered independent organization where students obtain hands-on interdisciplinary experience in the design, construction, testing, racing, and exhibition of solar cars. Students from all areas of study are welcome to join us!

The team is grouped into three sub-teams: mechanical, electrical, and operations. Mechanical deals with using advanced design and manufacturing tools to create braking, steering, suspension, chassis, and aerobody systems in addition to carbon fiber composites body work. Electrical is responsible for constructing an architecture combining battery, solar array, embedded processing, telemetry, and hardware integration systems. Operations works with fundraising, accounting, university and industrial relations, logistics, and outreach.

Student Clinicians for Climate Action at UVA

SCCA at UVA is a group of health professional students who recognize the impact of the changing climate on human health and the inequitable distribution of the resulting health burden. As clinicians-in-training, we aim to learn, educate, advocate, and practice medicine with planetary health in mind. In doing so, we will better care for our future patients, communities, and selves.

Student Planners Association

The Student Planners Association (SPA) promotes urban planning practice and equity in the built environment, and supports the professional and academic development of its members in urban and environmental planning professions. SPA represents students in the Department of Urban and Environmental Planning -- both graduate and undergraduate – serving as a liaison between the student body, department, and faculty. We also welcome any students with an interest in planning from across the university to join us as members. SPA organizes planning-related and social events, connects members with training and professional development opportunities, and strives to engage with and serve the Charlottesville-area community on planning-related issues.

Surfrider at UVA

Surfrider at UVA is a student club of the Surfrider Foundation. We are a dedicated community of students who seek to protect the coasts and oceans that we love. Surfrider at UVA provides a welcoming and inclusive environment for anyone who wants to engage in environmental service and learn more about sustainability advocacy. We organize 2-3 trips to Virginia Beach and the Outer Banks a semester to perform beach clean-ups with the VA and OBX Surfrider Chapters, design curriculums for local schools about the importance of protecting the environment, and travel to DC to learn about the policy process. Most importantly, we foster an environment where Hoos can share their love of the ocean (whether you can surf or not!) by cultivating leaders amongst our members who can organize effectively and think critically. At its core, Surfrider is a culture in which anyone is welcome to come and explore the East Coast while learning how to work collaboratively to achieve the Surfrider Foundation's mission.

SWAP

SWAP, which stands for "Sustainability, Wearing confidence, Accessibility, and Promoting community," is the only UVA organization dedicated to hosting clothing swaps. Our swaps are meant to be community events, complete with food, drinks, music, and photo opportunities. Aside from clothing swaps, we host upcycling days and thrifting trips to promote our four pillars.

Virginia Environmental Law Forum

VELF is an organization for UVa. law students interested in environmental law, land use, energy, natural resources, sustainability, and environmental justice. Throughout the year, VELF hosts speaking engagements from leading experts in these fields. We also sponsor social events, such as hikes, brewery visits, and farm tours, and philanthropic endeavors like stream cleanups and trail building days.

Virginia Environmental Law Journal

Since 1980, the Virginia Environmental Law Journal has published leading scholarship on environmental, land use, and energy law and policy. We are a student-run organization which publishes two issues per year. Our membership is open to students at the University of Virginia School of Law who participate in the Unified Journal Tryout.

Virginia Forestry Club at UVA

That's what we're all about here in the Virginia Forestry Club at UVA! We're an active forestry conservation club dedicated to providing opportunities for student involvement and community service at state and local parks. Our goal is to support sustainability, conservation, and land management initiatives within and around Virginia and Charlottesville by involving students from all around UVA. Moreover, we aim to educate our members and volunteers on proper forestry techniques and conservation practices. We like to get out into the field and engage with hands-on conservation, helping out park rangers and conservation-oriented organizations with whatever needs doing. This includes clearing/building trails and park features, building foot crossings; planting trees, shrubs, and flowers; managing invasive plant species; and much more!

180 Degrees Consulting

We meet the need of non-profits for pro-bono, high-quality strategic and operational advice by leveraging the top University of Virginia talent. Traditional consulting services are often too expensive and inaccessible for non-profits and social enterprises, and most pro-bono services available to nonprofits do not have the track record or scale to make a meaningful, long-lasting impact. At 180 Degrees Consulting UVA, we are committed to helping your organization achieve maximum social impact in the communities you serve by researching, designing, and delivering high-quality solutions to your foremost issues. We have worked with 35 nonprofits within Virginia for clients working in various realms, such as education, environment, food security, human rights, and more.

UVA Student Garden: located on campus, the student garden is a community space that offers hands-on education and volunteer opportunities in growing produce, herbs, and native flowers. Students organize bi-weekly garden workdays where volunteers water, weed, plant and harvest crops. Volunteers are welcome to take food home, and any remaining fruits and vegetables are donated to UVA's Community Food Pantry.

https://sustainability.virginia.edu/student-garden


Morven Kitchen Garden: Morven Kitchen Garden is a student run, one acre, living laboratory in sustainable market farming. Our mission is to provide student leadership opportunities in sustainable market farming, inspire community participation in local food systems, and to offer an outdoor laboratory for agricultural research. In recognition of Dorothy McAuliffe's visionary leadership, funding was just approved for the creation of the First Lady's Food Lab, which will provide MKG the opportunity to expand its CSA and GAP certification to provide more student grown sustainable food in UVA Dining Halls.

https://morven.virginia.edu/mkg
https://www.news.virginia.edu/content/uva-inaugurates-morven-food-lab-honor-first-lady-virginia

Hereford Residential College Garden: The Hereford Garden is tended by the Hereford community throughout the school year and summer. The garden allows for hands-on teacher/student collaboration on topics such as planting, bed preparation, seed transplantation, etc., and typically culminates in a feast based on the harvest. Hereford’s garden is an embodiment of our mission of living well as a sustainably-minded community.

https://hereford.virginia.edu/living/

Refurnished Cville is a student group dedicated to diminishing the impact of furniture poverty by restoring value to household goods, diverting them from the landfill, and reallocating them to individuals and organizations in need. Their network of community partners provide them with the necessary resources and support to help them locate, obtain, and deliver furniture in the most efficient and impactful way possible.

https://refurnishedcville.org/about-us

Darden Capital Management (DCM) is a student organization that prepares students for careers in asset management by managing approximately $25 million of Darden’s endowment. One of five funds managed by DCM, the Rotunda Fund integrates sustainability research with fundamental analysis to select investments that are likely to outperform the market due to the improved long-term financial performance and lower risk features that accompany sustainable practices. The Fund is student-governed.

https://www.darden.virginia.edu/mba/culture-community/clubs-organizations/darden-capital-management

The Office for Sustainability and co-sponsors host around 80 student-facing events per year. Some of the major conferences and events over the past 3 years included:

Earth Day Every Day: each year, UVA Sustainability partners with organizations on Grounds and across the Charlottesville-area community to host Earth Day Every Day, a month-long celebration of our shared environment. The Sustainability team promoted more than 40 events throughout April, which culminated in the UVA Eco-Fair on April 21 on the Lawn. More than 500 attendees learned easy and actionable ways to jump into climate action, engage neighbors and peers, and support
community organizations at the forefront of the sustainability scene.

https://sustainability.virginia.edu/earthday2023

In 2023, the "Food Justice" class led by Dr. Kate Stephenson workshopped a public art installation at UVA's Student Garden. Through the creation of interactive art pieces displayed on the garden shed, the students aimed to promote discussions about food access and encourage increased community involvement in the area. Designs included a food advocacy map, a crop voting display, and more.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C02CSmlLL37/?img_index=1

The UVA Outdoors Club is a student-led group that leads a variety of trips to surrounding regions. The Outdoor Recreation center also allows students to rent equipment that they want to go on a variety of excursions including camping, rock climbing and water sports. The UVA Outdoors club also regularly partners with sustainability groups to host clean-ups and trail maintenance days. This wilderness/outdoor program follows Leave No Trace Principles.

http://www.outdoorsatuva.org/

Launched in Fall 2022, the Public Service Pathways (PSP) program is designed to help students connect to public service as a personal commitment, a lifelong practice, or even a career. The PPSP program is comprised of seven subject-focused pathways. Through the bi-weekly newsletter and other digital platforms, participants in the program have access to a comprehensive, always changing list of curricular and co-curricular opportunities to engage with the subject matter of their chosen pathway. The Global Sustainability Pathway invites students to explore the interdependencies between societies and the planet. Students, faculty, staff, and community partners will share the goal of developing ways of living that support the health and persistence of natural systems, the built environment, and human communities. Equipped with interdisciplinary skills and focused on solutions, students in this pathway will help build a sustainable and equitable future.

https://publicservice.virginia.edu/pathways/choose-your-pathway

Hereford Residential College is dedicated to fostering the well-being of its students, aiming to support their success both during their college years and beyond. The college achieves this goal through a comprehensive range of academic, co-curricular, and extra-curricular initiatives, as well as through meaningful interactions with faculty fellows and encouraging student self-governance. The emphasis on well-being is structured around three interconnected focuses: mindfulness, social awareness, and sustainability. The Residential College offers educational programs and social opportunities designed to impart sustainable life skills, including gardening, waste minimization best practices, and effective stress-management skills.

https://hereford.virginia.edu/about/

The Office for Sustainability employs 18-22 student employees throughout the academic year to drive sustainability projects. These student employees primarily concentrate on education and outreach by organizing events, leading programs, and managing social media. The students are assigned to six distinct focus areas -- outreach, green living, waste minimization, service learning, equity & environment, and green athletics. This division ensures active engagement with diverse communities within UVA.

https://sustainability.virginia.edu/team