Sustainability
As a leader in groundbreaking sustainability research, teaching, and engagement, RIT serves as a living laboratory for sustainable technologies, practices, and philosophies.
6
Applied research centers dedicated to energy, manufacturing, transportation, and the built environment
$14M+
Sponsored research funding each year in sustainability
12
Labs and test beds dedicated to sustainability research
74%
Academic departments that offer sustainability-related courses
Research Centers
New York State Pollution Prevention Institute
Gives Empire State businesses, communities, and nonprofits the practical tools and solutions they need to realize the benefits of sustainability for our economy, environment, and our society as a whole.
Learn more about the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute
Center of Excellence in Advanced and Sustainable Manufacturing
We help companies solve technical problems and explore opportunities to reduce costs, improve quality, and minimize environmental impacts. The Center of Excellence in Advanced and Sustainable Manufacturing is a partnership between New York state and RIT dedicated to helping state manufacturers develop and apply new technologies that create competitive business advantages.
Learn more about the Center of Excellence in Advanced and Sustainable Manufacturing
Center for Remanufacturing and Resource Recovery
We’re the world’s leading research center dedicated to the advancement of remanufacturing. At the Center for Remanufacturing and Resource Recovery, we’re meeting the biggest challenges facing the remanufacturing industry. Our team of researchers, engineers, and experts combine the power of innovative research with practical industrial experience to develop new technologies that will grow remanufacturing’s potential for businesses.
Learn more about the Center for Remanufacturing and Resource Recovery
Center for Sustainable Energy Systems
The global demand for energy continues to grow. The industrial sector is one of the largest consumers of energy, yet energy efficiency can be an afterthought among manufacturers under the daily pressures of fulfilling customer orders. Our team works closely with industry partners, government agencies, utilities, and other research centers to develop new energy systems, applications, and products.
Center for Sustainable Mobility
Transportation alone accounts for more than 25% of carbon dioxide emissions globally. At the Center for Sustainable Mobility, we’re focused on what comes next for our cities. We conduct advanced research to discover the technologies and processes that will drive the next generation of sustainable mobility. It’s not just about vehicles, but how all mobility technologies work together.
NanoPower Research Laboratories
The NanoPower Research Laboratories researches novel nanomaterials, devices for power generation and storage, and emerging materials for photonic and optoelectronic applications.
Related Degree Programs
- Architecture M.Arch.
- Civil Engineering Technology BS
- Environmental Science BS
- Environmental Science MS
- Environmental Sustainability, Health and Safety BS
- Environmental, Health and Safety Management MS
- Packaging Science BS
- Packaging Science MS
- Sustainability Ph.D.
- Sustainable Engineering ME
- Sustainable Engineering MS
- Sustainable Systems MS
Related News
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June 16, 2020
![a series of vertical tubes with leafy plants growing out of them.]()
From beer to plants; using a green wall to help filter wastewater at RIT
WROC-TV talks to Josh Goldowitz and Scott Wolcott, professors in the Department of Civil Engineering Technology, Environmental Management and Safety, about their research on a cost-effective and sustainable option for wastewater treatment for breweries.
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May 26, 2020
![four researchers collecting sediment samples from a lake.]()
RIT researchers receive grant to study microplastic pollution in Lake Ontario
A team of RIT researchers will explore how tiny particles of plastic pollution are impacting Lake Ontario thanks to new funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The multidisciplinary group will examine how microplastics are transported and transformed in the lake, where they ultimately end up and what effects they have on the ecosystem.
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May 21, 2020
![hands holding garbage bag full of debris.]()
How much plastic is in the Great Lakes? Tons and tons.
City Newspaper talks to Juliette Daily, mathematical modeling Ph.D. student, and Matthew Hoffman, assistant professor in the School of Mathematical Sciences, about their research on plastic pollution in Lake Erie.
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May 4, 2020
![Nabil Nasr.]()
RIT’s Nabil Nasr named to Board of Trustees at Ellen MacArthur Foundation
Nabil Nasr, RIT’s associate provost and founding director of the Golisano Institute for Sustainability, has been appointed a Trustee by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, formed in 2010 to inspire a generation to rethink, redesign and build a positive future through the vision of a circular economy.
