Contact Us

Office of Sustainability 4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington, DC 20016-8163 United States

Get Involved and Go Green

There are numerous ways to get involved with sustainability on campus whether you are a student, staff, or faculty member at American University. Explore the drop-downs below for more information.

Students

Join a Student Organization

There are numerous student organizations dedicated to waste, gardening, beekeeping, energy, and the environment:

AU Outdoors
AU Sunrise Hub
AU Zero Waste Club
Beekeeping Society
Climate Reality
Community Garden
Engineers for a Sustainable World
Net Impact
RE-volv Solar Ambassadors
Sustainable Ocean Alliance
WCL Community Garden
Email sustainability@american.edu to have your organization added to this list.

Green Your Life

Climate change is a global problem, one that will require action and solutions from every level of government, from our institutions and the private sector, and from individuals like you. It can be challenging to know where to start and how to make a difference; our Green Living Guide can help you get started.

Become a Sustainability Intern

Sustainability Interns serve a critical role in the Office of Sustainability by connecting with members of the AU community to expand sustainability awareness, increase engagement, and inspire personal behavior change. Interns are paid undergraduate students who work 8-12 hours per week in the Office of Sustainability, including a weekly team meeting. Tasks include event planning and outreach, in addition to general office work as needed.

Students receive training in sustainability topics such as green buildings, zero waste, carbon neutrality, and energy efficiency, as well as strategies for developing outreach campaigns and engaging peers effectively.

Sustainability Interns are hired for an entire academic year, and applications for internships are posted each summer. Subscribe to the sustainability newsletter to receive notifications about upcoming internship opportunities.

Staff

Become a Green Office

The Green Office Program supports and rewards offices that adopt sustainable practices within their team. Through the completion of three checklists, offices progressively expand their commitment to advancing university sustainability initiatives.

The intent of the program is to:

Establish a culture of sustainability.
Build a community across offices.
Provide tangible guidelines for sustainability focused actions.
Offer sustainability education for the university community.
Establish an opportunity for staff and faculty do their part to meet the university's sustainability goals.
Since 2011, nearly forty campus offices and more than 600 staff and faculty have participated.

Faculty

Sustainability in the Curriculum

Request a sustainability tour, guest lecture by Office of Sustainability staff, or data on campus sustainability by emailing sustainability@american.edu.

Ecollaborative

Join American University's environmental collaborative, ECOllaborative.

Green Teaching Program

The Center for Teaching, Research and Learning manages the Green Teaching Certificate. Faculty members at American University can qualify for a Green Teaching Certificate by answering a number of questions about their efforts to make their courses more sustainable.