Keep Eckerd green with our sustainability programs
Our campus teaches and inspires us every day. It’s only natural for us to nurture it through conservation efforts like:
- a living shoreline;
- bike share programs for on- and off-campus use;
- recycling and composting programs;
- up-cycling, like our annual Trash to Treasure program.
Fighting single-use plastics
Our president signed a “Break Free from Plastics” pledge in 2019 to prohibit the purchase of single-use plastics using College funds.
Students join faculty year-round in a science-based initiative to educate the public about plastic usage and change policy.
We even built an app called Remora to help people reduce plastic usage—and spend money with businesses that care.
Farm to table
In our cafeteria, seasonal ingredients come from our student-tended, one-acre community farm as well as local, owner-operated farms and ranches. Meat and dairy from animals raised with artificial hormones or routine antibiotics are avoided.
Building green
We construct healthy, efficient, and cost-effective sustainable buildings.
- The Center for Visual Arts is oriented to minimize heat load created by intense sunlight.
- We cool the James Center with wastewater rather than toxic coolants; it holds a coveted LEED Platinum certification.
- The Environmental Science building is powered by a solar array.
- Iota residence hall is LEED-certified.
What you can do
- Join a club below to foster sustainable behavior
- Take a shift collecting campus recycling
- Promote the Environmental Film Festival
- Minor in sustainability
3,000
Our farm produces and sells ~3,000 pounds of food to our cafeteria and campus community each year.
Sustainability news at Eckerd
Campus Groups
Fostering sustainable behavior at Eckerd College
BIRD CLUB
An Audubon Campus Chapter to introduce students to birding. Eckerd has the highest number of bird species recorded per acre of any college in the U.S.!
COMMUNITY FARM
Contributing to the well-being of students, faculty, staff, and the surrounding ecosystem.
ECO-REPS
Working towards solving environmental problems on campus through the Office of Sustainability.
GARDEN CLUB
Running an organic vegetable garden with environmental principles to connect us to our food.
MARINE LIFE ADVENTURE SOCIETY
Experiencing marine life environments and facilities with short adventure trips around Florida.
REDUCE SINGLE-USE PROJECT
Raising awareness, conducting science and taking action to reduce single-use plastic consumption on campus.
SCUBI JEW: EC ENVIROMENTAL DIVERS
Educating students and actively doing our part to repair the damage done to our oceans, rivers and lakes, and the creatures that live in them.
WILDLIFE RESCUE
Protecting and understanding our local seabirds and other wildlife through rescue and education.
Initiatives
Waste
Eckerd College promotes waste reduction with recycling and composting programs, water bottle filling stations, reusable Eco-Clamshells at the cafeteria, fishing line recycling containers and an annual Trash to Treasure project.
Energy
In 2007, our president signed the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment. In 2013, solar panels were installed as part of the 50 kilowatt solar photovoltaic array on top of our Environmental Studies building.
Green Campus
Our campus is home to over 1,200 trees, of which over 90% are native, providing countless benefits to campus residents—including humans, pets and wildlife! Many have tags which you can look up for identification in this map.
Green Campus
Our campus is home to over 1,200 trees, of which over 90% are native, providing countless benefits to campus residents—including humans, pets and wildlife! Many have tags which you can look up for identification in this map.
More Sustainability at Eckerd
- Reducing single-use plastic consumption at Eckerd
- Questions? Contact our Director of Sustainability, Evan Bollier ’11, at bollieea@eckerd.edu or 727.864.8908
