Sustainability

We are passionate about incorporating sustainability practices into every aspect of campus life. Through our academics, student involvement, and campus initiatives, we are making great strides towards reducing our environmental footprint. 

Sustainable Engineering Minor
Environmental Engineering Minor
Environmental Science Minor 
Renewable Energy Minor (beginning in Fall 2020)
Green and Sustainable Chemistry Master's Program (beginning in Fall 2020)

Green Initiatives

At South Dakota Mines, we are creating a healthier environment today and richer possibilities for tomorrow through our dining services, residence life, renewable energy generation, student projects, research centers, sustainability courses, and purchasing choices.

Our reusable to go container program in the Hardrocker Café allows our guests to take their meal on the go to meet the needs of their busy schedules. This not only is a great service for our guests, it reduces the amount of disposable product usage.

We minimize our waste by reducing, reusing, and recycling and we minimize our footprint through our waste reduction efforts. Across our operations, we have established practices from initial purchase to final waste disposal that decrease the overall cost of waste both environmentally and financially. We utilize a system called Lean Path to track our kitchen waste and then all food is separated and saved for local farmers to pick up to feed their various animals.

We recycle items from the kitchen including cardboard, cans, plastic and fryer oil.

We procure environmentally minded products for our disposables in catering and retail as much as feasible.

We focus on plant forward menu items throughout our operations.

We have introduced the utilization of iPads for electronic production packets which reduces our printing by 2 cases of paper per month.

Residence Life is dedicated to reducing its environmental footprint through efficient building planning and management. Palmerton and Connolly Halls were recently certified LEED Gold. Xeriscape projects around Palmerton, Connolly, and Peterson Halls requires no irrigation and all plantings are native to South Dakota. New energy efficient boilers, including a new digitally managed boiler in Palmerton and Connolly, reduce energy consumption in the residence halls. The installation of covered bike shelters and bike repair stations encourage bicycle usage.

Overlooking campus is a newly repaired 20 kW Redriven Wind Turbine. The turbine was originally funded by Black Hills Energy and was repaired by GenPro Energy Solutions in Piedmont, SD. Not only does the turbine provide power to campus, but it has also served as a valuable design project for many students. Adjacent to the wind turbine are three 190 W solar panels. Additionally, solar panels are installed near the Foundry on the East side of campus.

Center for Green Solid-State Electric Power Generation and Storage (CEPS)
CEPS vision and mission is to become a center of excellence in developing eco-friendly, safe, and economically feasible all-solid-state energy storage technology for portable and medical applications, automotive industry, centralized and decentralized electric grids, military applications, and energy security. Learn more.

Composite and Nanocomposite Advanced Manufacturing (CNAM) - Biomaterials Center
The overall goals of the CNAM-Bio Center are to synthesize low cost biodegradable biopolymers from renewable sources (such as agricultural waste biomass and methane) using polymer-producing microbes and extremophilic bioprocessing; and to develop commercially viable processes to transform these materials into valuable biopolymer and biocomposite products. Learn more.

Enroll in a sustainability-related course!

  • CHEM 462/562: Green Chemistry and Processes
  • AES/BIOL 406/506: Global Environmental Change
  • CBE 455 & CBE/CEE555: Pollution Phenomena and Process Design
  • CBE 485: Renewable and Sustainable Energy
  • CEE 325: Introduction to Sustainable Engineering
  • CEE 425/525: Sustainable Engineering
  • CEE 428/528: Oil and Gas Development and the Environment
  • ME 460: Fuels & Combustion
  • MEM 120: Introduction to Mining, Sustainable Development, and Safety
  • POLS 407: Environmental Law & Policy
  • HIST 492: Environmental History of the US
  • HUM 250: Environmental Ethics and STEM

Visit our Online Catalog for more information on these courses.

South Dakota Mines purchases from contracts setup by the Office of Procurement Management (OPM) in Pierre, SD. OPM has awarded a number of contracts that have “green/recycled/eco-friendly” items which our campus is able to purchase through SDezBuy (purchase order system). Examples of these contracts: Staples (Janitorial & Cleaning), Grainger and Fastenal (Maintenance, Repair, Operating Supplies), and Heartland and Cole (recycled paper), all offer “green” items. The Staples contract has over 1,600 items that are considered Eco-Conscious/Recycled. Also, all of these contracts have programs to decrease materials and eliminate waste when shipping their items.

Get Involved

Our commitment to a sustainable future isn't confined to the classroom. See how to get involved:

Previously RecycleMania, Campus Race to Zero Waste helps colleges and universities to find a path towards zero waste.

Lower your carbon footprint by using alternative transportation during the annual “Drive to Not Drive.”.

We host “Weigh the Waste” events where we track the post-consumer waste in a visible setting and report how much weight per person is wasted.

The Wellness Committee hosts Wellness Wednesdays to focus on overall heath, including healthy eating with Plant Forward menu items.

Student organization dedicated to learning about sustainable lifestyles and about how to get involved on campus.

Student chapter of ACS that focuses on education outreach to younger generations. Content has large sustainable focus.

Student chapter that brings together water and environmental focused students from different departments to promote a professional network on campus and in the community. The Environmental & Water Resources Institute is the American Society of Civil Engineers technical source for environmental and water-related issues.

National student competition to design and construct a car powered by a chemical energy source, that will safely carry a specified load over a given distance and stop. Learn more.

Student competition that involves the development and construction of a single-person, fuel-efficient vehicle.

Student organization aimed at connecting students to the surrounding Rapid City area through hiking, backpacking, and camping.

Campus Updates 

Our campus has revitalized it efforts in reducing its environmental impact over the past several years. Below, you will find a list of the most recent efforts.

LED retrofits are being completed continually in main areas and on all the larger renovation projects to reduce energy use.

Facilities & Risk Management work with campus to improve recycling efforts. A new recycling program has been introduced throughout all residence halls.

All residence halls have had new flooring that meets FloorScore standards for indoor air quality.

The Sustainability Committee implemented double-sided printing as the default option in Surbeck Center to reduce paper waste.

Faculty Research

Our faculty conduct research on a wide range of sustainable content.

Sustainability Committee

The South Dakota Mines Sustainability Committee regrouped in the Spring of 2019. We are committed to reducing the school's environmental footprint.

For questions or suggestions, contact:
Ilke Celik
Assistant Professor
Civil & Environmental Engineering
Ilke.Celik@sdsmt.edu