Sustainability

Students, faculty and staff at Hiram recognize that the issues threatening the environment must be addressed now for the sake of communities and generations to come. That is why we focus on creating a sustainable college, implementing practices that lessen negative impacts on the environment.

Sustainable College Development

While sustainability is an area of focus in the classroom as part of the Environmental Studies program, the Hiram community is also actively addressing sustainability issues across campus through programs made possible by the leadership and involvement of students. The sustainability programs at our college are designed to address areas of concern that affect all of us, while making inroads for the future.

Additional Information

Elijah Skaggs ’21

“Sustainability, for me, means a brighter future.”

Hiram’s sustainability efforts have been in progress for years and continue to evolve. Thanks in part to efforts made by student sustainability groups, our sustainability college is working to reduce waste, naturally maintain the beauty of campus, and utilize more renewable energy sources in the coming decades.

In recognition of Hiram College’s commitment to effective urban forest management, the Arbor Day Foundation — the nation’s largest nonprofit dedicated to planting trees — honored the college with recognition as a Tree Campus Higher Education^® college.

The Tree Campus Higher Education program commends colleges and universities that have developed and continue to maintain healthy community forests. Hiram achieved the title by meeting five core standards of tree care and community engagement, which include a tree advisory committee, a campus tree-care plan, dedicated annual expenditures for its campus tree program, an Arbor Day observance, and a student service-learning project.

Hiram’s Role as a Sustainability College

Surrounded by national parks, nature preserves, and other spaces of natural beauty, Hiram is a lovely place to call home and explore. As a sustainable college, our campus includes various eco-friendly buildings, such as our Center for Integrated Entrepreneurship, which was constructed using recycled materials.

We also partner with dining and campus management vendors to ensure that sustainability efforts are being made in diverse ways throughout campus. In the dining halls, for instance, our meals that include produce, dairy, and meat products are sourced from farms in the northeast Ohio area to reduce waste. We also utilize various solar panel arrays, which provide renewable energy that supports our facilities.