Employee Sustainability Guide

Learn how you can make a positive impact on campus and beyond with this guide for Georgia Tech faculty & staff.

Programs and Resources

Sustainable Procurement Guide

Utilize the Sustainable Procurement Guide to assess the sustainability of all purchases you make through Georgia Tech.

Familiarize yourself with the Georgia Tech Green Cleaning Manual for best practices in cleaning to protect our community health and the environment.

Green Events Guide – Coming Soon!

The Green Events Guide will help you plan and host an environmentally-friendly event, whether it’s a department wide gathering, a small staff meeting, or a large conference. Coming soon!

The Surplus Department at Georgia Tech provides a resource for faculty and staff to obtain used items instead of buying new, helping to prevent waste and unnecessary purchases. Make an appointment here.

Tip Cycle reduces plastic waste and saves labs money through cleaning and reusing pipette tips. Contact them to learn how your lab can join their growing community of clients.
Many labs are following sustainability best practices; check out My Green Lab to get guidance on pursuing certification.

Take the Ride Smart class to learn more about bike commuting.
Register your bike with the Georgia Tech Police Department and always wear a helmet.
Partake in May’s National Bike Month activities.
Check out GT Parking & Transportation’s bicycling page.

Take the Stinger – for free! There are nine Stinger bus routes that can be tracked with the TransLoc App.
Ride MARTA – at a discount! GT Parking and Transportation offers discounted unlimited use monthly MARTA transit passes.

Carpool permits are available at a lower price than annual parking passes.
SmartPark and the Flex Permit offer pay-as-you-go parking options for those that drive infrequently and are great parings with biking and MARTA.
Drive electric: Georgia Tech offers 40+ electric vehicle charging stations.

Share your catering leftovers – after your event, fill out the Green Forks form to share food leftovers with students.
Fight food waste by starting with what you know you can eat, then going back for more if you’re still hungry.
Choose food options with no packaging or compostable/recyclable packaging.

Eat food that is locally-sourced and sustainably-produced.
Eat with the seasons to enjoy fresh, peak-season produce while reducing the number of miles traveled from farm to plate.
Reduce your meat intake by eating plant-based meals.

Follow Tech Dining on Instagram at @techdining to be the first to learn about upcoming sustainability events and new menu offerings.
Support GT food donation efforts by volunteering with Klemis Kitchen and the Campus Kitchen team.

Shop or donate clothes at the Kendeda Revolving Closet, free of charge.
Shop or donate items at the GT Thrift Shop rather than buying new or throwing away unwanted items.
Use reusable food containers – including reusable to-go containers, water bottles, and coffee mugs.

Aluminum cans, cardboard, office paper, and plastic bottles & containers can all be recycled on campus.
Compost your food waste and compostable packaging.
Look for plastic film, glass, styrofoam, and other hard-to-recycle options at the Campus Center or Kendeda Building.
Recycle your spent pens and markers at the Price Gilbert Library, Engineered Biosystems Building, Petit Biotechnology Building, and the Molecular Science and Engineering Building.
Recycle your batteries at the Campus Bookstore, Expo Hall information desk, Clough Information Desk, ORGT at CRC, and the Library Information Desk. Many offices and departments have collection boxes. To request a box, email batteries@gatech.edu

ORGT offers trips to educate about outdoor recreational activities and gear rental to encourage exploration.
Starting from the Campus Recreation Center, complete the Pi Mile course for an outdoor exercise option.
While outdoors, stay hydrated with a reusable water bottle.

Energy Saving Tips

Turn off lights, computer monitors, and other electronics (printers, etc.) when not in use.
Change computer and monitor settings to sleep after 15 minutes of inactivity.
Use smart power strips capable of automating efficient energy practices.
Digital storage requires power. Try cleaning out your digital storage and emails, to free up space and reduce power use.

Purchasing Sustainably

Review the Sustainable Procurement Guide for information on how to sustainably purchase items at Georgia Tech.
Check supply storage and with colleagues before purchasing new office supplies.

Green Printing Habits

Avoid printing when possible. Docusign is free to the GT community and can be used for secure digital signatures.
Print in black and white. Color printing takes longer, consumes more energy, and uses more toner.
Print double-sided.
Print on recycled paper.
Share files using OIT Georgia Tech-approved cloud shared drives and applications.
Power down printers at the end of the day.

Eat at a local plant-based restaurant.
Join a sustainability-related network such as RCE Greater Atlanta and/or Global Growers Network.
Participate in one of the City of Atlanta’s Mayor’s Office of Resilience initiatives such as the Sustainability Ambassadors program.
Search for local Fresh Food Access Points such as farmers markets, farm stands, farms, neighborhood markets, and more on the AgLanta Fresh Food Access Map.
Volunteer with a community-based non-profit organization such as Trees Atlanta and/or the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance.