Make the pledge!
At the University of Chicago, we acknowledge the climate crisis is one of the greatest challenges of our times and are committed to making a positive impact on this complex problem. Through education and research, as well as facilities and resource management, we apply the expertise of our community to build a more sustainable future.
We must also affect change at the individual level. Whether you are a student, faculty, or staff member, your actions can shift the culture and empower positive change.
We invite you to join us to steward a campus community engaged in actions that increase awareness and understanding of the importance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Pledge to make a personal commitment to incorporate sustainable actions into your daily routine. By making sustainability a lifestyle, you shape your legacy and ours.
You can view this pledge list in a PDF that links to resources for many of the choices. You can use the “Fill & Sign” function to check off your areas of commitment, and then save your pledge for personal reference. Let it motivate your actions and be a conversation starter on campus. Sign your sustainability pledge in the form at the bottom of this webpage.
GET A PLEDGE BUTTON! Look for the Office of Sustainability at orientations and events on campus and ask for your pledge button. Show you’re committed to shifting the culture on campus and beyond.
I pledge to shift the culture with my sustainability choices at the University of Chicago and beyond.
I have the power to make a positive difference in our climate crisis.
I can affect positive change with my intentional choices.
Your circularity choices
- Single-stream
- Clothing
- E-waste
- Plastic bags
- UChicago Marketplace
Your workplace
- Go paperless
- Carry a reusable beverage container, straw, food container, and bag
- Conserve energy and water in campus buildings, especially in labs shut the sash
- Repair tech before replacing it by connecting with the Tech Bar or a local shop, or recycle
Your energy and water usage
- Conserve energy in your room
- Conserve water when you shower and run the tap
- Turn off lights and use task lighting
- Take time to unplug
- Report water leaks and hot or cold rooms
Your dining
- Reduce food waste
- Learn about sustainable initiatives in UChicago Dining
- Shop local and support local farmers’ markets
Your transportation and travel
- Walk, scoot, bike, skate
- Shuttle, CTA bus or El train, Metra
- Carpool
- Low emission vehicle
- Returning to campus via bus, train, carpool, or greener flying
Your footprint from shipping
- Bulk order
- Reuse and recycle packaging
Your campus
- Explore why campus is designated a botanic garden
- Explore Jackson Park, 57th St Beach, Promontory Point, Washington Park
- Steward green spaces and respect plantings, trees, and wildlife
- Visit Lake Michigan and steward clean water
- Commit to end litter
- Join a campus clean-up
- Support sustainability events by attending or planning your own
- Attend a campus sustainability tour
Your off-campus housing
- Opt-in for composting
Your voice and talent
- Join a registered student organization working on sustainability
- Find research opportunities like EFCampus
- Engage with the campus voter registration drive
- Take a class covering climate and sustainability topics
- Volunteer in a community garden or at a community organization
- Donate your meal swipes and Maroon dollars to UChicago C.A.R.E.S.
- Share your feedback on accessibility with Facilities Services
- Propose a project to the Green Fund
Your legacy
- Calculate your carbon footprint
- Learn about sustainability practices
- Research solutions to climate change
- Choose your role on campus and beyond
Sign your pledge in the form below to make it official.