Carnegie Mellon University
EN-3: Student Life

The following are a few examples of CMU student organizations that identify as focusing on sustainability issues:

Carnegie Mellon Solar Racing
Carnegie Mellon Solar Racing is a competitive solar racing team aiming to promote the use of sustainable energy, namely solar power, and its use in society. The organization acts as a collaborative interdisciplinary space for students to hone their soft skills, tackle complex problems, and learn about building and maintaining a boat. We aim to provide our members with networking opportunities and engineering experience that will go on to serve them in their professional careers.

CMU ChemE Cube
The ChemE Cube team aims to design, build, and test a 1 cubic foot plant that produces a desired product based on an annual problem statement provided by the RAPID Manufacturing Institute. The team competes at the annual competition held during the AIChE Student Conference through a head-to-head duel and creation of an ad, poster, and pitch presented to judges during the competition.

CMU Vegan Society
Connecting Through Food, Activism, and Social Events.

Design For America @ Carnegie Mellon University
We are a group of interdisciplinary students who use their unique design, engineering, and social sciences perspectives to confront social issues in innovative ways.

Engineers Without Borders
The Carnegie Mellon University chapter of the non-profit humanitarian organization Engineers Without Borders is a group of students dedicated to understanding the challenges that face humanity today, and creating socially-conscious and environmentally sustainable technologies to improve quality of life for local, national, and international communities.

Environment & Water Resources Institute (EWRI) Graduate Student Chapter at CMU
The EWRI mission is to develop CMU students’ professional skills in the fields of sustainability and water resources engineering, help CMU students get access to the environmental engineering professional network within Pittsburgh, and improve communication between EWRI Pittsburgh chapter and CMU.

Global Business Brigades
Global Business Brigades provides business consulting and strategic counseling to support under-resourced micro-enterprises in developing countries. Not only do we address issues such as accounting, operations, and management skills but also we work side-by-side with community members to afford volunteers the opportunity for cultural exchange, micro-finance, and consulting experience.

Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity is an international, nonprofit, ecumenical Christian ministry founded on the conviction that every man, woman, and child should have a decent, safe and affordable place to live. Since its founding in 2000, Carnegie Mellon's campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity has strived to achieve the mission of the organization. Student members of the campus chapter provide aid not only in the Pittsburgh area through monthly builds with local affiliates, but also on a national and international level by conducting service trips to various parts of America and the world.

Net Impact
The Net Impact chapter at the Tepper School of Business has a mission to promote the education and understanding of business ethics and corporate sustainability and responsibility among MBA students and other interested graduate students at Carnegie Mellon University.

Students Using Data For Social Good
Students Using Data for Social Good (SUDS) is a student group at Carnegie Mellon University dedicated to both generating awareness and creating practical solutions for social justice issues. We do this by collaborating with non-profits and government organizations on data-driven projects that help better the lives of people in and around the Pittsburgh community.

Sustainable Earth
Sustainable Earth aims to encourage Carnegie Mellon University and the Pittsburgh Community to actively practice ways of living sustainably. They also network with other organizations, on and off-campus, who are interested in strengthening environmental initiatives in Pittsburgh. They organize participatory community events and volunteer activities open to all.

The Thrifty Mellon
We want to create CMU's first on-campus, student run thrift store where students can donate and find clothing, dorm supplies, electronics, etc.

https://www.cmu.edu/environment/get-involved/index.html

CMU's Winthrop Community Garden is a collaboration between Carnegie Mellon and the Winthrop Street neighborhood in Oakland. The garden was started in 2013 by a group of students, faculty, staff, and community members. With the help of the neighborhood and environmental leaders on campus, students have been able to plan the garden from the start. They built raised beds, designed the layout, planted an array of crops, and have taken care of its upkeep. The garden has transformed an empty lot into a space that members of both the CMU community and surrounding neighborhoods can come together and learn about sustainable ways to grow food.

https://www.facebook.com/CMUCommunityGarden 

Capital Grains eatery

Capital Grains is a unique grain-and-salad bowl concept with a menu of whole grains, fresh vegetables, and vegetarian protein options. This first-of-its-kind student-run restaurant is open on the weekends and is committed to ensuring the highest quality food possible.

https://www.instagram.com/capitalgrainscmu 

INTERSECT@CMU Conference: Innovating a Sustainable Future for All

Each year, INTERSECT@CMU brings together CMU thought leaders, industry partners and experts from around the world to discuss society’s most pressing problems and present potential solutions to innovate a sustainable future for all. The 2022 conference focused on sustainability, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the actions individuals must take to ensure that the next generation will live on a more sustainable planet.

https://www.cmu.edu/intersect-conf/

Technology, Sustainability, and Business Forum

A joint effort between the Tepper School of Business and the Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation at Carnegie Mellon, this conference discusses the latest research and trends impacting sustainability topics. In 2023, the virtual panel featured five leaders from industry, finance, academia, and the not-for-profit sectors to discuss matters pertaining to sustainability.

https://www.cmu.edu/tepper/faculty-and-research/seminars-and-conferences/sustainability-forum/index.html 

The Explorer's Club at Carnegie Mellon University is a student run organization dedicated to bringing together people with an interest in the outdoors since 1959. The Club organizes activities such as rock and ice climbing, mountaineering, caving, hiking, backpacking, flat and white water boating, sailing, skydiving, mountain biking, scuba diving, and more. Trip Leaders are asked to follow Leave No Trace principles. 

http://www.cmuexplorers.org/tripleading 

Grand Challenge Seminars

All first-year students iin Dietrich College are required to take a Grand Challenge Seminar, which focus on real, complex global problems like climate change, food insecurity, or racism.

Seminars are co-taught by multiple faculty members who bring a multi-disciplinary lens to problem-solving. Faculty teams propose seminar topics and engage with students in critical thinking, communication and collaboration. The courses harness the intellectual power of humanists and social scientists from Dietrich College, in collaboration with engineers, roboticists, chemists, and other experts from across the university.

Fall 2024 Grand Challenge Seminars included: 

• Health in Unhealthy Times
• We're Not Beyond Race: Race and Identity in America
• The Challenge of Achieving Justice, Equity, and Freedom in a Complex World
• Equity and the Environment: Exploring Global Challenges and Local Solutions

https://www.cmu.edu/dietrich/gened/fall-2021-and-beyond/year-1/grand-challenge 

In its Strategic Plan 2025, Carnegie Mellon includes among its goals, "Encourage individuals to pursue a high quality of life, to develop their talents and interests and to value physical, emotional and spiritual health throughout their lifetimes." Nutrition, fitness, and mindfulness programs aligned with this goal that particularly related to students include: 

To promote being physically active Athletics, Aquatics, and Recreational and Fitness facilities are state of the art and available for the CMU community with a valid CMU ID. There are 70+ Group X-ercise classes offered a week at no cost to the faculty, staff, and students.

A monthly BeWell@CMU newsletter offers a comprehensive resource for CMU students, faulty, and staff regarding wellness inspired events, announcement, and professional and personal development opportunities.

The Mindfulness room, open 24 hours a day, is a space to rest, breathe, and relax with no agenda.

Nutrition services and education are provided through a collaboration with Dining Services and University Health Services.

https://www.cmu.edu/wellbeing/resources/wellness-initiatives 

Facilities Management and Campus Services offers students employment as SEED Leaders during the semester and over the summer.

The mission of the SEED (Sustainability Education + Empowerment = Doing) Leadership program is to build a network of sustainability-literate student leaders capable of empowering and educating peers about sustainability issues. 

https://www.cmu.edu/environment/get-involved/seed