Sustainability at HSC

The Health Science center's mission is to “create solutions for a healthier community”. HSC Office of Sustainability was founded in 2012 to support that mission by advancing sustainable practices on campus through educational outreach, programs and initiatives, and our own campus operations. The Office of Sustainability operates from the student created "Sustainable Campus Fee" which funds environmental improvements on campus. This goes towards events, projects, and programs on campus. 

The Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle Program at HSC includes offering on campus recycling options as well as larger event days. At almost every trash can co-mingling recycling can be found. These boxes take plastic containers #1-7, paper products, paperboard, broken down cardboard, glass bottles/jars, aluminum cans, and steal and tin cans. Please be sure to follow proper recycling instructions including washing out bottles/containers that once held food and throwing away paper products contaminated with food residue. When in doubt, it is better to throw away a product than potentially contaminate the entire recycling bin.

The Office of Sustainability also offers a recycling 2.0 program where ink cartridges, cell phones and batteries can only be recycled at specific locations on campus. At least once a year, HSC hosts a large recycling event were clothing, large electronics, and special items will either be donated or recycled.

The HSC Community Garden was founded in 2014 and consists of 35 plots. Plots are not only available to affiliated members of HSC, but accepts members from the local community. The goal of the garden is increase health in nutrition while building on sustainable and environmental values. Each plot is required to donate at least 25% of it's produce to food pantries including the HSC Student Food Pantry. This helps food insecurity and access issues. 

The Office of Sustainability offers multiple alternative transportation options to help decrease the greenhouse gas emissions that can be caused by typical car exhaust. HSC offers subsidized annual bus and train passes to students and employees and a yearly free subscription to the Fort Worth Bike Share program.  Passenger cars make up 27% of CO2 emissions in the United States. (EPA, 2022) This can be reduced through community action and trying to offset vehicle transportation when possible. 

The Sustainability Committee is open to students, faculty, and staff to serve on. The goal of the committee is to represent the campus community and promote sustainability across HSC and Fort Worth. By addressing how sustainability effects whole health, the campus can work to improve environmental well being for futures students and residents. Members may vote on policies and assist with plans involving the community garden, Earth Day, and Next Steps focusing on the future of sustainability on campus. 

The Lab Efficiency Action Program or LEAP, is program offered by the Office of Sustainability to financially incentivize green practices in labs. This helps increase lab efficiency while keeping the focus on the lab's primary purpose of research. There are four different levels of engagement based on task completion: bronze, silver, gold, and platinum. Awards are given out to labs based upon the total tasks completed towards lab efficiency.