UGA 2014 Campus Sustainability Report UGA 2014 Campus Sustainability Report | Page 70

Research Initiatives
Goal 1:
Promote interdisciplinary research related to sustainability
The Office of Sustainability strives to promote and support interdisciplinary sustainability research initiatives at UGA
through partnerships with the Georgia Initiative for Climate and Society, Bioenergy Systems Research Institute, Center for
Integrative Conservation Research, Sustainable Food Systems faculty, Riverbasin Center and others. Highlights include
creation of the SEC Student Ambassadors and Scholars program for the first-ever SEC Symposium and participation in the
UGA Sustainability Science Symposium. OoS has served as collaborator on over five grant proposals and spearheaded
completion of the EPA-funded UGA Watershed Management Plan. To promote efforts of faculty campus-wide and to
encourage interdisciplinary connections, OoS identified and made public a list of 662 sustainability researchers at UGA.
Goal 2: Enhance the UGA campus as a living laboratory for sustainability research
The Office of Sustainability facilitates partnerships between academic and operational departments to enhance the
University of Georgia’s physical campus as a living laboratory for sustainability research. Relationships between UGA
students, faculty and practitioners enable reciprocal learning and facilitate implementation of best practices in
sustainability education, research and operations. Highlights include:
1.

Development of the Campus Watershed Advisory Committee to improve the health of UGA watersheds.
Students, faculty and staff from the College of Public Health, College of Environment & Design, Odum School
of Ecology, Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, Facilities Management Division, Athens-Clarke
County Government, local neighborhood associations and others are working together to identify and solve
water quality issues on and off-campus.

2.

The Chew Crew, an initiative of the College of Environment & Design with ongoing support and 2012 Campus
Sustainability Grant funding from the Office of Sustainability, has grown into an interdisciplinary research lab
addressing benefits of prescribed grazing, water quality impacts, invasive plant removal, community
engagement and other aspects of life in the campus and urban context. A 2013 Campus Sustainability Grant
was awarded to a graduate student in the College of Public Health to improve water quality on campus and
beyond through expanded service-learning opportunities associated with the Chew Crew and other sites.