Sustainable Spaces by NC State Students
NC State’s campus is full of picturesque spots to sit, study and relax. Many of these spaces were not only designed to promote wellness and community, but to advance sustainability on campus. And many of them are brought to you by your fellow NC State students.
From campus-based internships and course projects to student organizations and research opportunities, students looking to get involved in sustainability efforts at NC State have plenty of options. For instance, any student can request funding from the Sustainability Fund to implement their sustainability ideas on campus. Grant recipients work with the Sustainability Office, as well as faculty and staff across the university, to hone their ideas and bring them to life.
2013
The year the Sustainability Fund originated, after students campaigned for it.
$5
The annual fee each student pays toward the Sustainability Fund in their tuition.
14
The number of projects supported by Sustainability Fund grants in the 2025-26 academic year.
The next application cycle for Sustainability Fund proposals begins in October. Sign up for application alerts.
“Our office connects students with faculty and staff who understand the constraints, but also the possibilities, of their ideas,” said Carla Davis, director of the Sustainability Office. “That kind of real-world feedback and collaboration often turns what was already a good idea into a great one.”
These projects also deepen students’ ties to NC State and the Wolfpack community.
“Through the process of implementing their projects, students see that they are supported, their ideas are being heard and they’re contributing to change on campus,” said Keondra Jenkins, a program specialist in the Sustainability Office.
Explore eight of these student-built spaces, plus an initiative to reduce food waste on campus.
Gather at Floating Grove
Host your next study group at NC State’s latest student-led sustainability project, Floating Grove. Nestled between Biltmore Hall and Jordan Hall, the community gathering space is the first outdoor structure on campus made of cross-laminated timber, a more sustainable alternative to traditional wood.
The Sustainability Stewards, one of several student groups focused on sustainability, obtained a Sustainability Fund grant to complete the project and partnered with the College of Natural Resources, the College of Design and NC State Facilities to built the structure.
“Universities abroad and some in the U.S. use cross-laminated timber, which still has a ‘woody’ appearance but is more durable than typical wood products,” said Payton Bell ’26, a biological and agricultural engineering student who co-led the project. “We wanted to showcase the material and the advances being made in technology, so people can think about how to utilize it.”
Walk by ‘Step Pools’
Along Wolf Village Way, you’ll come across a set of “step pools,” a tiered system of weirs to help with stormwater management.
“That’s a highly trafficked area and it has issues with flooding and black ice,” said Bell, who also worked on the step pool project. “We wanted to create a structure to help pull some of the water off the road and make it safer for everyone. I love it because it’s a sustainable solution to an engineering problem. It’s also more aesthetically pleasing than adding more drainage boxes.”
The Sustainability Stewards worked with NC State Facilities to design and plan the structure, which also includes native pollinator-friendly plants.
Stand at a Bird-Saving Bus Stop
While you wait for the Wolfline on Wolf Village Way, bird lives are being saved.
Birds often die from flying into buildings and bus shelters. Two years ago, the Sustainability Fund awarded a grant to install bird deterrents (the circles on the glass) at the bus shelter along Wolf Village Way.
Find Your Haven at the Heart of Campus
Study or relax on the third-floor terrace of Talley Student Union, surrounded by pollinator-friendly plants. The Sustainability Stewards, with the support of a Sustainability Fund grant, partnered with NC State Facilities to bring you this beautiful green haven at the heart of campus.
The Sustainability Stewards designed the space to promote the Wolfpack community’s mental and physical wellness.
P.S. There are two other Campus Green Havens, one in front of Nelson Hall and another outside Fox Lab in the Governors Scott Courtyard.
Unwind Under Solar Umbrellas
Sit, chat and charge your electronics at the solar panel-covered umbrellas outside Tucker Residence Hall, one of the first projects supported by the Sustainability Fund.
Step Into an Oasis
Tucked between Turlington and Owen residence halls, the scenic Artist’s Backyard offers a space for rest and relaxation amid the hustle and bustle of our main campus.
Students in the College of Design’s Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning designed the space in 2011, incorporating features to help manage stormwater runoff. They even added some pollinator-friendly plants.
Build Your Horticulture Skills
Find a moment of peace — and perhaps pick or plant a vegetable — at the Students for Organic Living (Sol) Garden.
The student-run edible garden, located near Parents Park behind Lee Residence Hall, educates the campus community on small-scale agriculture and sustainable gardening.
Take a Leisurely Stroll
Connect with nature in Gardner Arboretum, a one-acre tract between Patterson Hall and Burlington Engineering Laboratory.
The arboretum features ample seating, swings, solar-powered outlets and a signature statue of a strolling professor.
Named after Monroe Evans Gardner, the former head of the Department of Horticulture, the arboretum was designated as a teaching laboratory for horticulture students.
Reduce Food Waste. Feed the Pack.
Student-led sustainability projects aren’t limited to physical structures on campus. At NC State, the Wolfpack is always finding creative ways to serve one other.
Abby Mulry ’26, a biological sciences and international studies student, spent summer 2025 reviving NC State’s chapter of the Food Recovery Network, which had gone dormant during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Food Recovery Network originally gathered food from NC State dining halls that would have gone to waste and donated it to community organizations across Raleigh. After learning that the rate of food insecurity among NC State students had reached 30%, Mulry decided to shift the program’s primary focus to the campus community.
Each week, Mulry and Naomi Bouedo, who is working toward a master’s in biomanufacturing, lead student volunteers in assembling ready-to-eat meals using leftover food from the University Towers dining hall and delivering them to the Feed the Pack food pantry.
“It’s inspiring to know that students are giving of their precious time to help others,” said Chad Cliffe, a campus executive chef and the organization advisor for the Food Recovery Network. “Humans helping humans stay nourished is an amazing thing, but to also help eliminate food waste — that’s a slam dunk.”
Want to contribute to a more sustainable NC State? Connect with the Sustainability Office to learn how you can get involved.
This post was originally published in NC State News.