Energy & Sustainability
Green and Growing
A campus garden and multiple native pollinator-friendly plantings across 11 acres of green space support campus sustainability. In the garden, students learn gardening techniques and principles of community resilience while contributing to small scale vegetable and fruit production. The 8-acre solar prairie and several pocket prairies across campus showcase UD's efforts to support healthy ecosystems and provide campus-based internships and research opportunities.
An expanding urban garden on the grounds of Old River Park provides hands-on learning opportunities for students, faculty, and staff less than a mile from Main Campus. A harvest of vegetables, herbs, and berries are shared with dining services and the campus food pantry. For a tour of the garden for your campus group or to join the gardening efforts, complete this Join Us form.
The garden team harvested over 1200 lbs of produce in 2022. Try some of the garden produce at the UD Farmer’s Market.
The solar prairie at Curran Place serves as a hands-on laboratory and studio space for students honing skills in renewable energy, engineering, environmental biology, art, and other disciplines. Earning Xerces Society Bee Campus designation, it also visibly demonstrates UD's commitment to caring for our common home. With over 80 plant species native to Ohio, the prairie provides important habitat for pollinators while promoting efficient renewable energy generation from the solar panels.