Office of Sustainability and the Environment

Students looking at insects through a microscope

Solving Grand Challenges

Balancing human and environmental wellbeing.

Welcome to the Office of Sustainability and the Environment (OSE)

The OSE serves as a central resource for integrating sustainability into the University of Iowa’s operations, academics, research, and community engagement. Through collaborative partnerships, innovative initiatives, and educational opportunities, the OSE connects the campus community and empowers Hawkeyes to make informed decisions that drive meaningful, lasting impact.

Students observing water samples from a creek

Find Sustainability Degrees and Research Programs

Search sustainability-related majors, minors, certificates, and research centers

Students tossing graduation caps on Pentacrest at sunset

Add a Sustainability Certificate to Any Major

Give your resume a competitive edge with practical, future-focused skills employees are looking for

Take a Sustainability focused Course

Find a Class

Explore Sustainability Initiatives at UI

Students help sort waste at President's Block Party

See Waste Information

Bee campus sign in front of pollinator garden at Catlett/Chemistry

Explore Outdoor Spaces

Student holding earth everyday sign on Pentacrest

Find Jobs and Internships

Office of Sustainability staff give away plants at UI Library patio

Sustainable Living Tips

News

Tree sapling growing in the Miyawaki Forest

UI to plant second Miyawaki Forest on Arbor Day

Thursday, April 16, 2026

Tony Senio standing in from of the Prairie Restoration sign with the dormant prairie in the background

Grounds manager blends passion for the environment with a career in Athletics

Friday, March 27, 2026

K-12 students standing outside looking at worksheets and flood model

Iowa Flood Center Offers New Classroom Resources

Thursday, February 12, 2026

Events

EnCo x Bijou Screening of Soylent Green

Wednesday, April 22, 2026 7:00pm

FilmScene

Join both the Environmental Coalition and Bijou Film Board for a screening of the sci-fi movie Soylent Green at Filmscene!

Iowa City International Documentary Film Festival

Thursday, April 23 to Sunday, April 26, 2026 (all day)

Adler Journalism and Mass Communication Building

The Iowa City International Film Festival is a student-run experimental film festival hosted in Iowa City.

Blooming Plants: How to Care for Plants and Greenery

Thursday, April 23, 2026 12:00pm to 1:00pm

Sciences Library

Join Erin Irish, associate professor in biology at the University of Iowa, and Johnson County Master Gardeners Lavon Yeggy, Angela Murphy, and Marge Jensen to learn about the basics of plant care. Free and open to all. Beginners welcomed.

Drop in for a free workshop to design and decorate your own Chia Plant Buddy after the “Blooming Plants” program!

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