sustainability

illustration shows a digital screen displaying data related to groundwater quality

Nov 12, 2024

Machine learning predicts highest-risk groundwater sites to improve water quality monitoring

The new tool allows regulators and public health authorities to prioritize specific aquifers for water quality testing.

A series of black solar panels on a residential roof; a chimney is off to the left and the sky if a deep blue with a wisp of white clouds.

Nov 4, 2024

Clean energy: a solution for resiliency

Natural disasters can have a devastating impact on communities, causing loss of life, property damage, and negative health impacts. In the aftermath of a natural disaster, many consider what could’ve been done to prevent some of the damages, and what can be done in the future to address these issues.

Researchers with poplar trees in a greenhouse.

Oct 21, 2024

Finding could help turn trees into affordable, greener industrial chemicals

Specific molecular property of lignin in trees determines difficulty of using microbial fermentation to turn trees and other plants into industrial chemicals.

Staff, faculty and students throw wolfies in front of new battery energy storage system on Centennial Campus.

Jun 10, 2024

Battery-powered savings on Centennial Campus

NC State boosts energy efficiency on Centennial Campus with the introduction of a Battery Energy Storage System.

Two young women sitting on garden planters laughing

May 17, 2024

BAE educational garden opens to the community

Graduate student Jasmine Gibson led the design and construction of a new campus garden, highlighting education and sustainable farming practices.

Students head for class on Centennial Campus, with the newly completed Fitts-Woolard building reflecting cloudy spring skies.

May 10, 2024

Energy-efficient buildings drive campus learning and research

Energy-efficient buildings drive campus learning and research for students working with NC State Energy Management.

Sonja Salmon (left) and Siyan Wang (right) stand in the lab with lab coats and protective glasses. Salmon holds fabric samples and Wang holds two bottles of solution with some fabric fragments visible.

Jan 30, 2024

Textile waste research paves way for greener textile future

Ph.D. student Siyan Wang’s breakthrough research on cotton fiber fragments earned a prestigious spot on the front cover of Cellulose journal. See how her research is changing the game for textile recycling.

View of biopolymer film on left and microscopic view of the film on right.

Dec 12, 2023

Researchers combine biopolymers derived from the ocean to replace synthetic plastic films

Crustacean and seaweed materials combined in a unique way could provide a sustainable alternative to plastic films.

a small brick building with five wooden doors that open directly into a tidy, dirt courtyard.

Nov 1, 2023

Poop, Pee and Microbes: The complicated ecology of pit latrines

The findings are relevant for efforts to both improve public health and reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with global climate change.