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Sustainability

On our campus, in our community, around the world

 

WPI is creating an ecosystem of sustainability that extends from our home in Worcester and reaches across the globe. With a five-year Sustainability Plan that includes energy conservation efforts, infrastructure improvements, research initiatives, and more, the university is committed to research that helps transform food waste into fuel to a student-led project to improve farm irrigation in Ghana, the university is committed to using its strengths as a premier STEM-focused institution and pioneer in project-based learning to take a leading role in building a more sustainable, just, and equitable future.

To do so, we are also using our own campus as both a testbed for new technologies and approaches to sustainability as well as a living and learning laboratory that engages students, faculty, researchers, and staff to generate new and innovative solutions to the challenges of our changing planet. 

 

How We Do It

Gompei's Gear bikes
Campus Operations
Campus Operations
From power plant improvements to green transportation alternatives, WPI is working to reducing our carbon footprint and achieving carbon neutrality.
Campus Operations
WPI students global projects in Ghana
Global Projects
Global Projects
Our students are advancing sustainability and having an impact at WPI and in communities through more than 50 project centers around the world.
Global Projects Program
WPI researcher Mike Timko holding vials
Cutting-Edge Research
Cutting-Edge Research
WPI researchers are furthering sustainability science and scholarship by developing practical solutions to pressing environmental, economic, and social challenges.
Sustainability-related Research
WPI students global projects in Ghana
Academic Programs
Academic Programs
WPI's curriculum is infused with sustainability principles through a variety of degree and project programs, and more than 150 related courses across departments.
Sustainability in Academics
WPI students climate action fair
Campus Engagement
Campus Engagement
WPI's entire community fosters a campus-wide culture of sustainability and positive change by engaging in awareness, action, and service.
Getting Involved
Solar panels
UN Sustainable Development Goals
UN Sustainable Development Goals
Through research, partnerships, and more, WPI is contributing to the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
SDGs at WPI
Preview WPi campus global view

WPI's Sustainability Plan (2020-2025)

Developed with the support and input of faculty, staff, administration, and students, WPI's five-year Sustainability Plan turns vision into action by using our strengths to lead initiatives on campus, in the community, and across the world to protect the environment, ensure economic security, and work for social justice for all people. 

Sustainability News and Updates

Preview Solar panels
Campus Initiatives

New Partnership Accelerates WPI’s Efforts to Reduce Its Carbon Footprint

WPI has formed a 40-year partnership with Chicago-based investment management firm Harrison Street that will provide $45 million for the university’s strategic initiatives and accelerate work to reduce WPI’s carbon footprint by expanding energy-conservation measures, improving WPI’s power plant, and developing sustainable energy technologies for the WPI campus. The partnership also will lead to new research opportunities for students and faculty.

Preview WPI sustainability research illustration
Sustainability Research

Sustainability of the Built Environment

Researchers from civil, environmental, and architectural engineering, along with colleagues from The Global School, are working on sustainable construction materials and building designs, computational models, and other advances that could not only reduce emissions related to construction and operation of the built environment, but help communities plan for and adapt to disasters and economic impacts intensified by a changing climate.

Preview Stock image of palm trees in storm
Global Partnerships

Co-Creating a Caribbean Climate Adaptation Network

A team of researchers from The Global School has been awarded funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to co-create a Caribbean Climate Adaptation Network (CCAN) to address and adapt to climate changeincluding extreme weather eventsin Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. Graduate and undergraduate students will be integral to advancing CCAN’s research, including students completing project work at the Puerto Rico Project Center. 

Preview WPI faculty members standing with sustainability sign

Faculty Experts

WPI faculty expertise in sustainability is comprehensive, covering everything from climate change and renewable energy to sustainable business practices and environmental policy. In true WPI fashion, our faculty often pool their knowledge and their passions, collaborating with colleagues across academic departments and programs with a shared purpose: creating a world where ecosystems and societies are able to thrive.

Student Champions

Eugena Choi '24
Eugena Choi '24
BS, Environmental & Sustainability Studies and Environmental Engineering

When it comes to her path in life, both academically and personally, Eugena Choi '24 is a product of her environment—literally. Read more about her WPI experience.  [...]

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Paige Agostini '25
Paige Agostini '25
BS in Chemical Engineering with Environmental concentration

Paige’s passion for sustainability and making a difference in the community gives her a sense of place at WPI.  [...]

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Gabriel Espinosa ‘24
Gabriel Espinosa ‘24
BS in Mechanical Engineering

Gabriel works to pursue his passion for sustainability and engineering through WPI’s clubs and hands-on learning experiences. [...]

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Shannon Henderson '23
Shannon Henderson '23
BS, Environmental Engineering, Creative Writing minor

Shannon dedicates herself to sustainability work both inside and outside the classroom. [...]

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Megan DeSanty ’24
Megan DeSanty ’24
BS Robotics Engineering, minor in Computer Science

Community service projects and staying active are important parts of Megan’s life, both on and off campus.  [...]

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