Sustainability

Buffalo State supports environmentally sustainable practices in its mission and core values, and through its daily operations. Through education and research, community service, responsible campus practices and individual contributions, the Buffalo State community is committed to raising awareness of environmental issues and conserving resources for future generations.
This site outlines green dining, water conservation, air emission, and other sustainability initiatives on campus.

The Maud Gordon Holmes Arboretum at SUNY Buffalo State was formally dedicated in 1962 with the ceremonial planting of a Scots elm in honor of Maud Gordon Holmes, founder of the Garden Center Institute of Buffalo. Since then, the arboretum has grown from 300 trees to over 1,400. The Arboretum includes many varying species of trees and numerous landscape beds featuring vibrant flowering shrubs, perennials, and annuals.

Since 2021, Buffalo State has shown its commitment to sustainability by becoming a member of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, or AASHE, an international association to promote the United Nations 17 goals of sustainability.

The Minor in Environment and Society offers students an opportunity for comprehensive interdisciplinary study of "human-environment" interactions, providing the skills to think holistically about environmental problems and solutions. The "Core" courses are particularly geared toward developing an understanding of the environment as socially constructed and interactive rather than as an objective reality.

The Environmental Science and Society certificate will enhance the preparation of students for careers in the environmental field. Students will learn to use problem-oriented, interdisciplinary approaches to recognize, comprehend and resolve complex environmental issues. Coursework will address the ethical, social, and historical context for environmental issues and the associations between human and natural systems.