Sustainability at Denison
Go Green, Big Red!
Denison University is committed to nurturing ecological sustainability both on campus and in the world beyond. Active leaders among Denison’s students, administrators, faculty, staff and alumni work every day to challenge traditional ideas and look for new solutions.
Denison recognizes that environmental responsibility is a way of life, not just a trend, and that new science continually brings new opportunities for improvement, so the active commitment to nurturing sustainability will never end.
The college has devoted resources and careful consideration to the quality of its surrounding environment for decades. Starting with the establishment of the Denison University Homestead in 1977, the college has undertaken a number of wide-ranging initiatives that address the relationship between humans and their environment.
Subsequent major environmental endeavors included the development of the Environmental Studies Program in the 1990s, the green renovation of Barney-Davis Hall in 1996, the creation of the Denison University Recycling Program in 2003, and of the Denison University-Granville Community Recycling Center in 2004.
The students, faculty, staff and administration at Denison continue to make a concerted effort to improve campus environmental sustainability. Recent developments toward a more sustainable community include the establishment of the Environmental Task Force; a functional state-of-the-art composting system; the installation of solar panels on William Howard Doane Library; and a general Campus Environmental Audit.
While faculty, staff and administration members are supportive in the push to make Denison more environmentally conscientious, changes largely have been introduced and completed by energized and enthusiastic students. In particular, student organizations have played a vital role in encouraging environmental consideration in every functional facet of the institution. These innovative and ambitious groups include but are not limited to the Denison Progressive Alliance, the Green Team, the Denison University Recycling Program, the Animal Liberation League, the Denison University Fair Trade Alliance, Energy Redux and, of course, the Denison Homestead.
Special funding has enabled the Environmental Studies Program at Denison to fund environmental projects on campus to promote sustainability. Substantial budgets have been appropriated to the installation of the photovoltaic panels and to the formation of the Campus Sustainability Venture Fund, which is available to all students for environmental projects that are compliant with its overall mission statement:
“The Campus Sustainability Venture Fund serves to help establish a campus sustainability plan for Denison’s campus. This fund exists to help Denison become an innovative leader in campus sustainability through working to implement changes in the way that our community uses its resources. This fund supports students and organizations that wish to improve the environmental state of Denison’s campus, but who lack the financial means to do so. Students, faculty and organizations are encouraged to submit proposals for projects that range from $100 to $5,000 in capital and/or operating costs.”
With the help of environmental advocates within the students, administration, faculty, staff and alumni, Denison University will continue to investigate environmentally-friendly possibilities on campus and develop strategies for funding and executing them. The campus sustainability efforts not only help to maintain the health of the public and surrounding ecosystems, but also adhere to the interdisciplinary goals of a liberal arts education through well-rounded scholarship and reflection.
To learn more about sustainability initiatives at Denison, visit the following pages: