Introduction | Project Design | Examples | Tips | Courses | Bibliography

Project Topics

The topics below show the range of possibilities for campus-focused environmental projects. Examples are drawn from colleges and universities nationwide and - where possible - stories are chosen that involve students.

Click on one of the four general headings, then find the specific section of interest. For each topic area, a short list of project ideas is given followed by relevant websites and descriptions of actual projects. For some descriptions, Internet links offer further information. It may be a good idea to browse around in other topics, too. Even a project quite different from the one you are investigating may be a good source of ideas for methods, analytical approaches and overall project design. New project reports, topics and websites will be added over time.

1. Resource Flows - energy, electricity, water, wastewater, paper, food, lab chemicals, etc.

2. Solid and Hazardous Wastes - recycling, composting, hazardous wastes, waste reduction, wood waste, etc.

3. Campus Infrastructure - transportation, green buildings, landscaping, non-point pollution, dining services, etc.

4. Policies and Plans - environmental policies, environmental committees, sustainability

Don't limit your search to the topics and projects listed here. There are plenty of other ideas to be found in books, magazine articles, reports and websites. Check the Bibliography, in which good sources of project ideas are marked with an asterisk (*). For inspiration, read this magazine excerpt to see how much individual students can accomplish. Browse Campus Ecology's Yearbook. And be sure to ask around on campus. Most staff and faculty have lists of projects they would like to tackle - and offers of free assistance will gladly be considered.

The extent of student involvement is often not stated in projects described in the literature or on the Web, though students may have been an integral part of the effort. Without question, it makes good educational sense to engage students actively in all projects that address campus environmental concerns. And by extension, the overall student body of a college or university should be made aware of such work through campus newspapers and in course lectures and educational displays -- even if most students are not personally involved in projects.

Campus Ecology...It takes a big step to make a smaller footprint.