When thinking about what it means to be sustainable, visions of recycling bins, reusable grocery bags and riding a bike might come to mind.

Sustainability is not a new term, but as people all over the world and in their own communities are starting to come to terms with the consequences of their daily actions, they don’t know where to start.


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Being a land grant University, Auburn is committed to educating the community through academic research. The University’s Office of Sustainability is the community’s very own resource for sustainable living education.

“It’s sort of a new way of thinking for most people,” said Matt Williams, program manager for the University’s Office of Sustainability. “But the idea is thinking about your actions and the actions of society and how they have connections to the rest of the planet and other people’s lives.”

Over the past few months, the Office of Sustainability has been going through a transition period. To begin the new phase, two new director’s positions will be added.

“Our major push up until now was letting people know what sustainability is and how it can improve their quality of life,” said Williams. “Now people have bought in to the idea and they are looking to us as a resource.”

One of the transitional goals for the Office of Sustainability is to support the community with different outreach projects.

Students from building science and interior design programs with sustainability minors are interested in starting a community project to assist low income housing residents. Applying their energy efficiency expertise, they want to help people find economic relief from high energy bills.

In addition to outreach projects, the Office of Sustainability welcomes all community members to any of their guest lectures, symposiums or open forums.

When trying to get people on board with living sustainable lifestyle, Williams said they ask them to consider five things. Where their water, food, shelter and energy come from are the first things to consider. And also, what transportation methods they use.

The community has made some good steps in the right direction according to Williams.

Ever tried one of Amsterdam Café’s delicious, seasonal salads? All of Chef David Bancroft’s lettuce comes from Oakview farms in Wetumpka. Being able to pinpoint the source of food is a fun way to be sustainable.

Using Toomer’s 10 bus service is a great way to cut down on fossil fuel emissions. Instead of cranking up the car to go downtown Friday night, hop on the bus and be dropped off curbside.

“It’s tough to get started,” said Williams. “But once you start making those questions about how your actions affect the world you want to see, that’s the first strong step in the right direction.”