Campus Sustainability Leadership

A Message from President Jarrell

‌The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) recognizes its responsibility for careful and considered stewardship of the built environment and is committed to preserving the world's natural resources.

It is further recognized that UMB is in a unique position of leadership and influence in the community to serve as a model to promote progressive ideals in the areas of energy conservation, the elimination of global warming emissions, and the use of green design.

Sincerely,

Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS
President

Awards and Designations

Maryland Green Registry Sustainability Leadership Award, 2023

  • The Sustainability Leadership Award is given to Maryland Green Registry member organizations that show a strong commitment to sustainable practices, measurable results, and continual improvement.

Tree Campus Higher Education, 2023 and 2022

Maryland Department of Natural Resources PLANT Award, 2022

Bicycle Friendly University: Honorable Mention, 2022

Sustainability Committee

In July of 2024, the Office of Sustainability will transition the four current working groups into one Sustainability Committee. Meetings will take place quarterly and will be offered in a hybrid format. Membership is comprised of stakeholders and subject matter experts throughout campus. To learn more about the Sustainability Committee, reach out to sustainability@umaryland.edu. 

Beginning in July 2024, the Office of Sustainability will also hold hybrid town halls twice a year. These town halls will take place during Campus Sustainability Month in October and Earth Month in April. The town halls will provide updates to the campus community on progress towards the Sustainability Strategic Plan, communicate ongoing and new campus sustainability initiatives, and allow for feedback and suggestions from a wider audience.

Previous Working Groups Structure

Previous Working Groups Structure ▾

The focus of the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s (UMB) sustainability working groups was to provide direction and leadership for the University on environmental issues and engage the UMB community in meeting its environmental information and forum needs. Current plans are in the works to redesign the working group setup for FY25. Please email sustainability@umaryland.edu with any questions.

Reduction Working Group

The Reduction Working Group was tasked with mitigating UMB’s impact by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Efforts included energy reduction, increasing alternative transportation methods, waste minimization, and green purchasing.

Resilience Working Group

The Resilience Working Group was tasked with implementing smart growth and adapting to the changing climate at UMB through design and infrastructure. Methods included increasing the University’s greenscape, conserving natural resources, and designing to account for future extreme weather events.

Engagement and Education Working Group

The Engagement and Education Working Group helped connect UMB to the rest of the city of Baltimore via partnerships, finds and implemented ways to effectively communicate updates to existing programs, taught the UMB community about the intersectional and systems approach the University has adopted for incorporating sustainability in its campus culture, and worked to incorporate sustainability into curricula.

Green Labs Working Group

The Green Labs Working Group assisted with the creation and implementation of a Green Labs program at UMB to address the large environmental footprint of laboratory spaces.