This New Iniatitive Aims To Help HBCUs Reach Their Sustainability Goals
Atlanta-based Southface Institute has partnered with the Sustain Our Future Foundation on Building Improvement Toolkits (BIT) for Resilient HBCU, an initiative aiming to advance sustainability efforts within five historically Black colleges and universities.
What will the initiative include?
Each participating HBCU will receive $150,000 in grants to help each school reach its sustainability goals, as well as for workforce development, training, and hosting 25 paid student fellows, according to Atlanta Business Chronicle.
An essential part of the initiative is an online platform, serving as a central hub for tracking performance data, accessing sustainability resources, delivering training to students, and offering technical guidance. By using consumption data, institutions can monitor their progress toward their sustainability goals.
Program coordinator Reed Walker told Atlanta Business Chronicle that BIT’s aligns with Southface’s goal of making communities more sustainable, especially when supporting a community’s structures through its whole life cycle, “incorporating sustainability into the entire building.”
Helping HBCU’s highlight sustainability
The initiative was inspired by a 2024 report from the United Negro College Fund that cited a gap between belief in the importance of sustainability and the financial resources allocated for it. The report highlighted that 40% of HBCUs saw climate and sustainability initiatives as very important, but only 15% of HBCUs had a specific budget allocated for climate and sustainability projects.
“By tapping into the energy, passion, and ingenuity of HBCU students, we’re not just advancing sustainability on these campuses today, we’re building a pipeline of future leaders who will drive this mission forward for generations,” Stephen Ward, BIT program manager at Southface Institute, said in a prepared statement.
“Southface is excited to help create a lasting legacy of energy independence, equity and community-driven solutions that honor our history and shape our future.”
Sustain Our Future Foundation, a nonprofit based in Washington, DC, will be supporting the initiative. “HBCUs, as longstanding centers of knowledge, advocacy, and service, are natural partners in this work. Yet many face gaps in resources and capacity,” CEO Yinka N. Bode-George said.
The five HBCU’s that will take place in the program is set to be announced soon.
Image: Utunzaji wa Mazingira
