In the news
VCU's Sustainability Team restores green infrastructure, Sempervirens
In 2019 and 2020, a pair of studies and a New York Times article brought attention to the relationship between historic redlining and urban heat islands in Richmond, Virginia. Read more in the Sempervirens, The Quarterly of the Virginia Native Plan Society.
VCU’s first team in federal Solar Decathlon Design Challenge will compete in final round this week
VCU News, April 17, 2024
Twelve students in the arts, engineering and urban studies have designed an energy-efficient home with affordability and equity in mind. Read more.
VCU's Free Store opens for the first time in three years
VCU InSight, October 26, 2023
The VCU Free Store is offering items at no cost for VCU students after being closed for three years. InSight reporter Jason Tejeda-Molina is taking a look at what the VCU community can expect. Watch the coverage here.
VCU Free Store back open for business
RIC Today, October 23, 2023
The VCU Free Store, a project designed to help students and reduce waste, will reopen on Wednesday, Oct. 25. Read more.
VCU Free Store reopens in new space with no-cost goods and a 'thrift store vibe'
VCU News, October 20, 2023
Blenders and bowls and wall art, oh my! These are just a few of the things Virginia Commonwealth University students can get for no cost at the Free Store, which opens in a new space on Oct. 25.
What's new at VCU for 2023-24
VCU News, September 7, 2023
New places, new faces, new resources – even a new school – have joined the campus as the school year begins. Check out what's new at VCU, including the relocation and re-opening of the VCU Free Store and VCU Ram Pantry.
Mural by VCUarts student reveals the invisible danger of heat island effect
VCU News, August 25, 2023
With a VCU parking deck as her canvas, Sirena Pearl mixes art and science, creativity and technology, in a project supported by the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program.
VCU faculty share insight at climate roundtable with Rep. Jennifer McClellan and NASA Deputy Administrator Pamela Melroy
VCU News, August 1, 2023
Researchers Stephen Fong, Ph.D., and Damian Pitt, Ph.D., discuss how extreme weather threatens public health in Virginia and across the country, as well as strategies for mitigating climate change.
From surf, turn and sky, NASA and VCU's Rice Rivers Center deliver an immersive summer experience for undergraduates
VCU News, June 29, 2023
This summer, NASA brought its Student Airborne Research Program to the East Coast for the first time with the help of Virginia Commonwealth University faculty and the team at VCU’s Rice Rivers Center. SARP-East, which began in June and runs through July, engages undergraduate students from colleges nationwide in a real-world NASA research campaign on the ground, in the sky and in the water.
VCU, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service partner to restore migratory fish in Virginia rivers
VCU News, May 18, 2023
The VCU Rice Rivers Center will receive a $300,000 federal award in support of a new partnership to advance conservation of the iconic and culturally significant migratory American shad and river herring fish species in Virginia rivers.
A Growing Connection
Richmond Magazine, May 14, 2023
John Jones and Sara Barton know big things can come from small spaces. That’s why Jones, a Virginia Commonwealth University professor, and Barton, a VCU staff member, joined forces this semester to lead ENVS 291 - Foundations of Urban Food Production, a class that offers course credits for tending a city garden, greenhouse flats and a hydroponic system. Once harvested, healthy greens from these plots are delivered to VCU’s Ram Pantry, where they are available for students experiencing food insecurity.
Students, Office of Sustainability celebrate Earth Day
VCU News, April 26, 2022
The Virginia Commonwealth University Office of Sustainability celebrated Earth Day with a series of events throughout last week, culminating with an Earth Day Bazaar on Friday that drew an enthusiastic crowd to visit with an array of ecological groups and student vendors along the University Student Commons Plaza.
VCU prepares for a greener future with development of ONE VCU Sustainability Plan
VCU News, March 9, 2022
Virginia Commonwealth University today announced the development of its first ONE VCU Sustainability Plan, which will create a road map for the university and health system to achieve meaningful and impactful environmental sustainability goals.
VCU earns Gold for sustainability
VCU News, December 13, 2021
Virginia Commonwealth University has received a Gold Rating from an international sustainability organization that measures the performance of higher education institutions in five key areas.
VCU is the most bike-friendly university in Virginia
VCU News, March 12, 2021
Each day Sera Erickson commutes from her Church Hill home to her job at Virginia Commonwealth University on her bicycle. She followed the same routine as a VCU student.