University of Louisiana at Lafayette
PRE-2: Points of Distinction

We strive to create a community of leaders and innovators in an environment that fosters a desire to advance and disseminate knowledge. The University of Louisiana at Lafayette campus provides the perfect opportunity to merge our sustainability operational goals and mission to offer an exceptional education, with our natural penchant for solving real-world problems through collaboration. As we work to achieve sustainability objectives on campus, we engage experts in our classrooms and labs, students eager to get their hands on transformative experiences, and staff members who understand the systems that operate our facilities and grounds to implement and test sustainable solutions to societal issues.

The stated goal associated with this initiative is to utilize campus grounds, facilities, and operational systems for transdisciplinary project-based learning, applied research, and hands-on partnerships to prepare tomorrow’s leaders and develop innovative solutions to sustainability challenges.

Two keystone Living Lab projects are:
*The Photovoltaic Applied Research and Testing (PART) Lab, a 1.1 MW solar field located in the research park area of campus. This research and demonstration site also provides the south side of campus with renewable, clean energy to fill a portion of its energy demand.

*The Green Infrastructure Master Plan and demonstration projects including an urban prairie plot located in the center of campus and a 10-acre native prairie located in the research park. Both of these prairies reduce mowing, provide native and biodiverse habitat, and improve stormwater runoff.

The UL Lafayette Sustainability Faculty Fellows program aims to build a community of faculty and researchers dedicated to exploring issues of sustainability from the local to global scale, service-learning and community building, and multidisciplinary problem solving. The program is designed to support faculty in developing new sustainability course offerings, and/or redeveloping existing courses to include sustainability principles. Faculty apply to be fellows and are awarded a stipend for the participation and incorporation of sustainability into a new or existing course syllabus.

The Offices of Sustainability and Community Service have had a close relationship since sustainability became a concerted effort for UL Lafayette. The Office of Sustainability plays a key role in sourcing projects for major campus service programs like soUL Camp and The Big Event and priority is given to projects that have environmental or socially sustainable benefit to our community. This creates an opportunity for our students to engage with various sustainability concepts in a hands-on and meaningful way while also making a positive impact.

UL Lafayette also has a campus-based Americorps program and the Office of Sustainability has become one of their main service partners. Americorps members complete 300 or 450 hours of service each school year, a large portion of which is dedicated to sustainability projects on campus and in the community. Through this partnership, Americorps team members learn the value of sustainable operations and play a key role in campus sustainability initiatives like zero waste during athletics events, EPA litter mitigation research, green infrastructure, and chemical-free landscaping.