Principled Practice
ASU established the Sustainability Practices Network to develop practical and effective plans for operating the university sustainably. More than 150 administrators, faculty, students, and staff from more than 40 departments across all four campuses actively participate in this essential collaborative process.
Catering
The University Club focuses on creating a sustainable environment through its food selections, waste conservation, and more. Atlasta Catering is the official caterer of the University Club.
Campus Harvest
Campus Harvest engages the ASU community in planting and harvesting food from ASU’s extensive urban campus to provide fresh, local produce for campus kitchens, for charity, and for sale.
Community-Supported Agriculture
CSA partner Crooked Sky Farms provides fresh, local, organic produce to community members at ASU’s Polytechnic and West campuses. Students, staff, faculty, and others purchase shares of high-quality, local produce, providing financial security to a local farm.
Community-Supported Agriculture »
Local and Organic Foods
Approximately 35 percent of ASU food expenditures go toward local, organic, or otherwise environmentally preferable food. Roughly 15 percent of total purchases are from within a 150-mile radius.
Water Filtration Stations
Filtration stations located in ASU residence halls allow students to refill both one-gallon and five-gallon jugs with fresh water, saving them money and reducing waste.
Farmers Market
ASU sponsors a monthly farmers market at the Tempe campus during the school year to promote healthy eating and sustainability. The market features vendors of fresh produce grown by local Arizona farmers and other local products.
Engrained Café
Engrained is a café on the Tempe campus that serves locally grown and sustainable meals made to order, displays information about local farms, and provides tips on ways patrons can incorporate eco-conscious behaviors into daily life.
Dining
Sun Devil Dining is committed to making environmentally responsible decisions across its operations, minimizing environmental impact while providing quality food and service.
Green Building Standards
Following a 2005 order by the governor of Arizona, ASU now requires, to the fullest extent practicable, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification for all new construction of university-owned and operated buildings.
Green Building Design
Green building design reduces environmental impacts and operating costs while improving worker productivity and well-being.
Recently Completed Buildings
Review a portfolio of LEED buildings at ASU, both current and pending, along with all other recently completed buildings on the Downtown, Polytechnic, Tempe, and West campuses.
Recently Completed Buildings »
Arboretum
The Arboretum at ASU encompasses the entire Tempe Campus and is managed by the Facilities Management Ground Services Department. As Arizona's largest public arboretum, it is home to more than 900 species and is nationally recognized arboretum as a flourishing oasis of plants from around the world.
Community Garden
Arizona State University at the Polytechnic campus has created a community garden, the first of several planned for all campuses. The garden encourages students to learn about permaculture and sustainable food practices, creates a sense of community, and transforms an underutilized area to one that is more vital and engaging.
Eliminating Leaf Blowers
Grounds Services has contributed to improved air quality by eliminating its arsenal of leaf blowers and continues to seek alternative grounds-keeping methods to achieve greater sustainability on campus.
Grounds Bicycle Program
Grounds Services workers operate several three-wheeled bicycles pulling small carts. Workers quickly and easily navigate the more than 700-acre Tempe campus, carrying tools and equipment while reducing the university's vehicle emissions.
Green Cleaning
Across the university, 95% of cleaning products are green certified, and in dining facilities, all cleaning products are certified by Ecolab's green seal.
Print and Imaging Lab
ASU's print shop is Forest Stewardship Council and Sustainable Forestry Initiative certified, using soy inks and 100% recycled paper for all productions, including business cards, letterhead, envelopes, note pads, and note cards.
Paint Reuse Program
ASU filters and stirs together odd lots of old paint for reuse on small projects around the campus and the community, in the process eliminating a hazardous waste.
Green Labs Program
ASU has established the Green Labs program to promote the reuse and sharing of laboratory chemicals. The program focuses on waste reduction, proper chemical disposal, as well as energy and resource conservation.
Green Purchasing Policy
ASU's comprehensive Green Purchasing Policy covers energy, water, toxins and pollutants, biobased products, forest conservation, recycling, packaging, green building, and landscaping.
Staff Evaluation Criteria
Introduced in 2007-08 for employees of the Global Institute of Sustainability, ASU Human Resources established criteria for evaluating staff on their sustainability efforts and conscientiousness. The criteria will be introduced university wide by Fall 2010.
Small Business and Diversity
The Small Business and Diversity Program provides small and disadvantaged businesses with a fair opportunity to compete with large and national businesses to supply services and products to the university.
Small Business and Diversity »
Contractor Provisions
ASU created a values-based standard for significant business relationships, which influences the evaluation and selection of university contractors. In addition to mandatory contract provisions such as nondiscrimination, a safe and harassment-free work environment, and prohibition of controlled substances and weapons, contractors are asked to address several preferred provisions such as socially responsible wages, environmentally responsible practices, and employee education and training.
Sustainability Toolbox for ASU Departments and Offices
The Sustainability Toolbox is an online collection of strategies and resources for ASU departments interested in sponsoring "green" offices and hosting sustainable events.
Sustainability Toolbox for ASU departments and offices »
Room Temperature Guidelines
ASU's Tempe campus classrooms and offices are heated to no higher than 68° F, and cooled to no lower than 80° F to reduce the amount of energy used for space conditioning.
Computer Energy Conservation
ASU is committed to reducing wasted power from computers via power management and purchasing energy efficient computers.
Computer Energy Conservation »
Landscaping Water Conservation
ASU's campus is Arizona's largest public arboretum, dedicated in 1990 and committed to proper water management and conservation while educating visitors about the complex ecological systems on earth. Facilities Management has instituted several practices designed to reduce the amount of water used in landscaping on campus. About two-thirds of campus is watered at night to prevent evaporation. An initiative is also underway to automate the remaining systems so that the different plants on campus receive water based on both current weather conditions and a given plant´s evapotranspiration rate. Existing flood irrigation infrastructure has been preserved for future use with a gray water system when practicable.
