Our Sustainable Future
You care about the environment. We do too. At Duquesne, we work each day to find new ways to reduce our consumption of natural resources and to promote sustainable practices on campus. Pursuing bigger goals of sustainability—whether through green operations, construction projects, research endeavors, academic coursework or community engagement initiatives—is just one of the ways that we walk alongside you, while we honor our Catholic founding in the Spiritan tradition.
Campus Gardens
In 2020, a student from the Center for Environmental Research and Education (CERE) embarked on a research journey to introduce methods for developing environmentally resilient areas on campus. The proposed solutions centered around establishing campus gardens with the dual purpose of fostering biodiversity and combatting the detrimental effects of stormwater runoff, which had been negatively impacting the campus environment.
Thanks to her diligent efforts, Duquesne University now proudly hosts two student-run gardens: a produce garden located between Canevin and Laval House, and a pollinator garden adjacent to A-walk near College Hall.
The gardens receive ongoing support from multiple academic programs, the Grounds team, and the University Sustainability Committee.
These gardens serve as hubs for research, teaching, volunteering, experiential learning, and service-learning. Additionally, they strive to enhance access to nutritious and fresh produce while actively contributing to Duquesne University's sustainability initiatives and endeavors to combat food insecurity among students and the surrounding community.
Sign up to volunteer with the campus garden!
Sustainability Reporting
In the spirit of transparency, Duquesne University publishes regular greenhouse gas inventory reports and campus sustainability reports. Campus sustainability reports are through the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) and have landed Duquesne University on the list of the Sierra Club's Cool Schools and the Princeton Review's list of Green Colleges.
Honoring Our Spiritan Tradition
Our Spiritan heritage imparts a worldview that challenges us to embrace a deeper understanding of the world's working and accept our role as stewards who must care for it. As a Catholic university, we appreciate that it is our collective responsibility to confront climate change and other environmental challenges and to do what we can to eliminate their causes and mitigate their effects.
Community and Committee
Community engagement is one of the hallmarks of a Duquesne education and a cornerstone of our 2018-2023 Strategic Plan. In July 2022, Duquesne reaffirmed its commitment to sustainability by creating a new sustainability committee to support, grow and promote the University's efforts to build a more sustainable campus.
Through the Office of Community Engagement, the Center for Community-Engaged Teaching and Research, Spiritan Campus Ministry and the Duquesne University Volunteers (DUV), we create innovative and meaningful opportunities for students, faculty and staff to work for the greater good in the Pittsburgh region and beyond.