Sustainability: What can I do?

Volunteering, participating in campus and community events, changing how you get to and around campus ... there are plenty of ways you can get involved with the University's sustainability efforts. Why not make a dent in your ecological footprint? Sustainability can be a way of life for faculty, staff, students and members of the community!

Stay up to date on events, talks, and meetings by following our Sustainability Calendar.

Campus Initiatives and Programs

Binghamton University Sustainability Cup 2024

Join us in the inaugural Sustainability Cup, a competition among living communities to become the GREENEST on campus. By participating, you'll help improve recycling efforts, energy and water use, waste diversion from landfills, and have a greater appreciation for sustainability at Binghamton University. 

Green Office Certification Program

Any area on campus can submit to become a certified Green Office. The process involves reviewing sustainability compliance requirements, championing sustainability, adjusting purchasing practices, and much more. 

Download the Green Office Checklist to take the first steps in becoming certified!

Review the Green Office Program Guide to help complete the checklist.

To learn more contact Martin Larocca

Peer-to-Peer Sustainability Ambassadors

This peer-to-peer ambassador program focuses on providing faculty and staff actionable knowledge regarding sustainability on Campus. Ambassadors go over key areas of sustainability with a high impact on the University’s sustainability goals and requirements. Participants will learn about different University-wide initiatives along with individual resources and actions to help achieve and surpass those sustainability goals. 

Sustainability Advocacy Action 

Individual Action

• Seek out educational resources.  Webinars, journal articles, and government websites are a few of the many resources that cover how individuals can make a positive impact on the environment. Just be sure to check that the information comes from a credible source!
  • Sustainability Story Maps
  • GreenNY Sustainability Series webinars
  • GreenNY Resources
  • Science Library Sustainability Hub
  • EPA Tools and Resources Training Webinar Series
• Take the 1MReady_Bing Challenge. 1MReady_BING has one simple goal with a big impact: recruit students, faculty, and staff members to pledge to take small steps in their daily lives that save energy, reduce waste, cut pollution, and demonstrate that small steps can lead to big change. 
  • 1MReady_Bing
• Reduce, reuse, recycle. Help reduce your carbon footprint by reducing your material consumption, reusing items instead of buying new, donating to local charities, and/or recycling unwanted items that follow Broome County's Recycling Code. Some stores have take back programs for items that do not follow Broome County's recycling code, check How 2 Recycle  to find stores near you. 
  • Learn how to Recycle Right New York
• Adopt energy-saving methods for computers. The University’s Information Technology Services' Energy Saving and Sustainable Best Practices guide offers a number of tips for reducing the amount of energy used by computers, as well as ideas for smarter printing. 
  • Be in compliance with recycled paper executive order. Executive Order 4: Printing & Paper 
• Take a green ride. Explore our bike-sharing service for the Binghamton University community. You can also opt to take the bus rather than a personal vehicle - there are plenty of buses to accommodate all different schedules. The University has also partnered with Zimride by Enterprise, a free secure carpooling platform that uses social networks to connect you to those traveling in the area. Our programs aim to help to reduce carbon emissions, alleviate traffic congestion, and promote a healthy and active lifestyle. 
  • OCCT Schedule & Routes
  • Broome County Transit Schedule & Routes
  • Set up a Zimride Profile!
  • That's How We Roll

Collective Action

• Join a student organization. There are many student organizations (*B-Engaged account needed) making a difference in the community such as the Binghamton Food Co-op, IDEAS for Binghamton and the New York Public Interest Research Group.
• Become a Friend of the Nature Preserve. This group dedicates itself to trail upkeep, habitat enhancement, guiding walks and education hikes.
• Participate in green events. A number of events are held throughout the year, including: Earth Day, Campus Race to Zero Waste, Campus Clean-Up Day, and Student E-Waste Drive.
• Explore community groups and volunteer opportunities. The Center for Civic Engagement compiles volunteer opportunities both on and off campus that are open to University students, faculty, staff and community members.