Welcome to the Boston College Office of Sustainability webpage! The Office of Sustainability embraces its goals through the following areas: education and outreach, landscape and natural features, LEED-certified buildings, and waste reduction and recycling.
-
TreeMapBC App
We have a Tree App! Thanks to Allen Li '21, Megan Luff '20, Landscape Services and the staff at Davey Tree we are able to identify not only the different types of trees we have on campus but the benefits they provide our community and the environment. Use the QR code or go to the Apple store to download the app.Happy tree hunting!
-
LEED Certified Silver 245 Beacon St.
The university has made a commitment to have all newly constructed buildings be certified as LEED Silver or greater. 245 Beacon St. is our newest LEED-certified building with a Silver rating. View the building's scorecard on the United States Green Building Council website here!
-
Fulton Beehive
The Office of Sustainability manages a beehive on the rooftop of Fulton Hall that provides habitats to bees and annual honey harvesting.
-
Boston College Sustainability Map
Curious about where our Boston College sustainable initiatives are located? Explore the area with our BC Sustainability Map! This map has locations marked for sites including LEED Certified buildings, the university garden, and more.
-
Sustainable video team.
The Office of Sustainability in collaboration with Media Services has created videos that contain some of our campus sustainable initiatives. Our video team is Vasilia Kavadas Graduate Student Program Assistant '24, Grace Healy Student Intern '23, Tyler DiFiore Student Intern '23, and Lauren Dadekian Undergraduate Student Intern '24.Click on the Student images to view our sustainable initiative videos!
-
LEED Certified Silver 245 Beacon St.
Yes, BC does have a University Garden managed by the Real Food Club. Click on the link for more information. Happy Gardening!!
-
BC Shares
“Teach us to give and not to count the cost” - Saint Ignatius of LoyolaBC Shares is a program organized by the Boston College Office of Sustainability to promote sustainability and exemplify this message from Saint Ignatius of Loyola. BC Shares encourages students to reduce waste and extend the lifespan of their goods, by giving them to others when they are no longer needed (instead of introducing them to the waste stream).
-
Photo by Office of Communication
The Office of Communicaiton has recenrly published a story about sustainabililty on BC's campus. This story provides information on our efforts as a school to enhance sustainable practices. Click the image to read the full article by Alix Hackett.
About Us
What We Do
The Office of Sustainability at Boston College serves as a resource and catalyst to advance University goals for campus-wide sustainability. It collaborates with Facilities Management, Boston College Dining Services, and student groups to organize and support various environmental sustainability initiatives and projects. The office works to:
- Implement energy conservation measures across facilities
- Develop a comprehensive approach to energy conservation and water management
- Coordinate a recycling and composting program across campus
- Incorporate and maintain natural features across campus
- Identify potential sustainability opportunities
- Measure and report on annual progress toward sustainability goals
Meet Our Team
Sustainability Program Manager
Bruce Dixon
BC '21, LEED GA, EBCP
Sustainability Office Interns
Amy Rini '26, Graduate Program Assistant
Margaret Ryan '25, Office Intern
Sang Sherpa '26, Office Intern
Alessandra Veveiros '27, Office Intern
Garden Steward
James Bergsten '27, Garden Steward
Contact
300 Hammond Pond Parkway
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
Email: sustainability@bc.edu
Office Phone: 617-552-3738
Office of Sustainability Website: https://sites.google.com/bc.edu/officeofsustainability
Sustainable Update
Suscribe to the Office of Sustainability's listserv for updates about the latest environmental events around campus and the Boston area including events from Boston College's green clubs, campus lectures, and the latest Environmental Eagle newsletter.
Sustainability Newsletter
Read about the latest sustainability inititatives, activites and events taking place on campus in the newsletter from the student group EcoPledge and The Office of Sustainability.
Environmental Eagle Newsletter
Academic Programs
The interdisciplinary Environmental Studies Program is currently researching ways to conserve the environment, discovering engineering alternatives, and energy efficiency practices.
The Woods College of Advancing Studies offers a professional studies certificate in sustainability. It is an online, six-course program open to students who hold a high school diploma or a bachelor's degree. It allows recipients to demostrate their compentency in pressing questions of the day, including climate change, effects of population growth, shifting demogaphics, and the ensuing natural resource limits of energy, food, water, materials, and waste.
Campus Groups
Join the green community.
Bike BC
Bike BC is a student-run bikeshare program serving the entire Boston College community.
Charity Water
Boston College charity: water is an initiative started by students whose goal is to bring awareness to the global water crisis and raise money to support charity: water campaigns. Since its inception, BC charity: water has been able to raise thousands of dollars and fund the development of a drilling rig and wells in two different villages.
Climate Justice BC
Climate Justice BC aims to educate about the dangers of climate change and how students can be agents for change; unite with local and national climate activists to strengthen social support for climate justice; and to engage in activism within the BC community.
EcoPledge
EcoPledge is Boston College's largest student-run environmental club that works toward making BC more sustainable. EcoPledge educates the BC community about environmental issues by showing films, presenting lectures, and hosting annual celebratory events like Harvestfest and Earth Day. EcoPledge members often go beyond the campus, participating in local community clean-ups, national environmental conferences, and hiking and camping outings throughout New England.
Green Ambassador Program
Established in 2014, Athletics, Facilities Services, and the Office of Sustainability have partnered to make the Green Ambassador program to support ongoing campus recycling efforts. Green Ambassadors welcome fans to BC at selected sites and offer information on game day activities and respond to recycling questions. For information about the Green Ambassador program please email sustainability@bc.edu
Outdoor Adventures
Run by Campus Recreation, Boston College offers students the opportunity to experience nature through day and weekend trips including rock climbing, hiking, sea kayaking, paddleboarding, and backpacking.
Outdoor Club
The student run Outdoor Club organizes trips for BC students to get outside and enjoy the environment. Trips include hiking, climbing, kayaking, white water rafting, and skiing.
Plant Club
Plant club is a welcoming and encouraging environment for people with all levels of plant knowledge. Join plant club for plant maintenance meetings, propagation workshops, cutting swaps, bonsai workshops, terrarium events, foraging and species identification walks, and more!
Real Food BC
Real Food BC is a student group on campus that strives for the establishment of a more sustainable food system by promoting the purchasing of food from local, green, humane sources in order to support localized food production and to reduce carbon emissions that result from long-distance food shipments. BC Dining Services has already taken steps towards more sustainable food procurement. In collaboration with Real Food BC, BC Dining created Addie's Loft, an organic eatery that offers food from local, sustainable sources.
Sustainable Living and Learning Community
Run by the Office of Residential Life, this living and learning community educates students on sustainablity and encourages them to be active members in their community. Students apply at the end of their first year and live on the sustainability floor during their sophomore year.
Living and Learning Communities
UGBC Environmental Caucus
The Undergraduate Government of Boston College works with environmental clubs on campus to create a greener BC. Their Environmental Caucus is dedicated to sustainability and making green changes on campus.
Entrepreneurs for Social Impact
Entrepreneurs for Social Impact works to amplify businesses pursuing equity and justice around the globe, with special emphasis on the Greater Boston area. Among other social justice causes, they highlight companies working toward a more sustainable future.
Student Guide to Sustainable Living at Boston College
The Office of Sustainability created this book as reference guidelines for the Boston College student body. These guidelines cover recycling on campus, conservation efforts, green cleaning, and how to join Environmental Clubs.
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us at sustainability@bc.edu.
Student Sustainability Guidelines
How to Recycle and Compost
Single-Stream Recycling
Boston College uses single-stream recycling, which means you can throw all your recyclables in one bin without any need to sort them. However, make sure to rinse containers before recycling them, and do not recycle plastic bags.
What Can you Recycle?
Most recyclable items can be placed in single-stream recycling bins, including:
- Plastics #1-7
- Glass and plastic bottles
- Empty, clean cardboard food and drink containers
- Aluminum cans: soda, tuna, etc.
- Empty, clean, plastic food containers, etc.
- Newspapers, magazines, junk mail, cardboard
For information click on this link!
Why Compost?
Composting helps prevents methane production through aerobic decomposition, reduces dependence on fossil fuels, and reduces landfill waste and incineration. Compost can be turned into a natural fertilizer, adding nutrient-rich soil to the land and promoting biodiversity.
Composting is a lot easier than recycling. Dining staff will compost for you in Corcoran Commons, McElroy Commons, Lyons Hall and Stuart Dining Hall. All food that you haven't eaten goes into the compost bin.
What Can You Compost?
- Fruit and vegetables
- Meat
- Poultry
- Bones and fat trimmings
- Dairy products
- Eggshells
- Coffee grounds
- Paper napkins
- Tea bags
