New Resource: A Student’s Guide to Sustainability

Under Sustainable Carolina’s strategic framework, the team nurtures educational efforts by supporting educational experiences and sustainability activities.

During the spring 2024 semester, Cindy Shea, sustainability director at Sustainable Carolina, served as the client for Lama BouFajreldin’s spring 2024 ENEC 698 Capstone.

Aiming to inspire the next generation of Tar Heels, a team of graduating seniors wrote A Student’s Guide to Sustainability at Carolina.

For Students, By Students

The team hoped to create a guide that would resonate with students, especially those new to campus.

“Carolina’s many rich sustainability offerings can be challenging to find for current and future UNC students,” said Shea.

At the undergraduate and graduate level, sustainability offerings are embedded into  many different departments and schools. Shea said sustainability education prepares students to be agents of change within their communities and future careers.

Inside the Guide

In the guide, the team not only lists degree and certificate programs, it also groups courses that correspond with the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Two to three courses are listed for each goal and fall under categories such as clean energy, healthy food, gender equality and sustainable cities.

The guide also encourages students to “bookend” their sustainability experience with a First-Year Seminar/First-Year Launch and a Capstone. In first-year experiences, students engage with their peers and accomplished teachers in small classes, while also fulfilling Carolina’s Ideas in Action First-Year Foundations requirement. Capstones, completed near the end of a student’s time at Carolina, give students an opportunity to hone analytical and management skills by working in a team environment on a large project, usually for a client.

In addition to degree programs and courses, the guide also points students to professional development opportunities and extracurricular activities. Professional opportunities exist within the UNC Institute for the Environment, Sustainable Carolina, the Office of Undergraduate Research and the Carolina Center for Public Service – just to name a few. Students can also get involved in one of Carolina’s 24 student organizations focused on the environment and sustainability.

The last section of the guide covers UNC Study Abroad and the UNC Institute for the Environment’s field sites. The Institute has field sites in Thailand and four locations in North Carolina – Highlands, Chapel Hill, Morehead City and Manteo. Through these hands-on experiences students participate in field research, internships and coursework.

Special Thanks

Thanks to the ENEC 698 Capstone team that put this guide together, under the mentorship of Lama BouFajreldin and Cindy Shea.

• Alyssa Coleman
• Anoushka Deo
• Arabella DeVoe
• Lillian Hawkins
• Caroline Kelly
• Anna Kunz
• Elizabeth Murphy