2025 Sustainability Report
From reaching GOLD in our STARS rating to diverting over 18 tons of waste at stadium events, this year was packed with progress. Thanks to student leadership, campus partnerships, and creative problem-solving, sustainability is thriving at the 91次元. Check out the highlights below from dining to zero waste, transportation to research—and see how your actions helped make it happen.
Download our Annual Report Poster and our Annual Report Brochure here.
AASHE STARS GOLD
UM has submitted STARS reports since 2014 and has achieved Silver twice, Bronze once, and finally, GOLD! Our improved rating represents our commitment to sustainability in our curricula, research, and our continued investment in building performance and sustainable design.
INFRASTRUCTURE
The Lodge dining hall and the Montana Museum of Art and Culture (MMAC) both earned LEED Gold certifications.
Bear Smart efforts continue! We installed a compost enclosure, two more bear safe trash cans, and the Outdoor Program received funds from People & Carnivores for bear-resistant outdoor equipment.
EV charging stations are everywhere! With the addition of the chargers at the Lodge and MMAC, main campus has six stations and 12 total ports.
FOOD
UM Campus Dining continues to model leadership in local/regional food procurement and through participation in regional efforts to increase institutional purchasing of local food. They earned a bronze NACUFS award for their commitment to local, sustainable, and ethical purchasing.
One example of a win-win-win relationship with a local vendor is UMCD’s partnership with Cool Earth Creamery, a Missoula-based oat milk producer. Cool Earth uses regeneratively-grown oats from Montana, is free of added sugar, and uses all reusable packaging. Plus, our students LOVE it, resulting in a 102% increase in UM’s purchasing volume year-over-year.
Our on-campus gardens pumped out 3,757 lbs of veggies, fruit, and flowers, all while providing education and engagement to 250+ school children.
RESEARCH
A GLI group championed our first Green Labs pilot program, encouraging sustainable practices in seven labs from three different disciplines. As part of this pilot, a new ultra-low temp freezer rebate program will be offered by the Kless Fund.
In response to some less-than-positive water test results on main campus, OoS intern Elsah Bechtold conducted outreach to labs focused on proper chemical disposal.
ZERO WASTE
Fall 2024 and spring 2025 involved big investments in zero waste programming and planning. We shared our draft ZW plan with campus stakeholders and piloted ZW stadium concerts and football games.
Offering compost and recycling at concerts and football games would not have been possible without our student ZW ambassadors. With their hard work, UM diverted over 36,760 lbs (18 tons!) of compost and recycling from the landfill between home football games and three concerts in Griz Stadium.
All in the Hall levels the playing field for trash and recycling (and compost) by locating all streams in one place for users to sort their own materials. In AY 2024-25, the following buildings received All in the Hall stations: Mansfield Library, DHC, Campus Recreation, and Mathematics, bringing our total to 10 buildings, 6 of which include compost bins.
A student-led compost pilot program in Lewis & Clark in spring 2025 included 223 participants over 125 apartments and has diverted 1,236 lbs from the landfill.
Conducting regular audits and waste characterization studies continues to help refine our understanding of campus materials, guiding improvements to infrastructure, outreach, and operations. Students who participate in our Big Sky Experience and ZW Ambassador Program contribute to these efforts, giving our ZW work a direct connection to student experience and learning.
KLESS SUSTAINABILITY FUND
With the $3 Kless fee increase passing last spring, we received $50k more in sustainability funds for FY25. This year, new funding was allotted to ULT freezers, water bottle fill stations, and smart metering. The Kless committee awarded $438,910 to support the following:
- Smart meters in the Natural Science building
- 250 kW solar array on PJW Education building
- New bike rentals & repair stations
- LCV compost pilot
- New chiller @ Campus Rec
- Graywater wash station @ Iron Griz Garden
- Electric handheld equipment for grounds crew
- Bike parking @ DHC
- Laundry sheets @ Food Pantry
- LED lights in Miller Hall
- Landscaping of Arthur Ave
- Adams Center water bottle fill stations
ENGAGEMENT
Started in spring 2024, our Sustainability Sentinels program has grown to 30 participants representing 17 departments across campus.
The Office of Sustainability launched a monthly newsletter to provide more consistent information on sustainability happenings, events, and to connect to community partners.
UM hosted 3 sustainable clothing events: Griz Gear Grab, Fall Clothing Swap, and Threads for Success, avoiding thousands of pounds of textile waste.
The office of Sustainability hosted 11+ events and partnered on 20+ more in AY24-25.
TRANSPORTATION AND SCOPE 3 EMISSIONS
Happy 25th Birthday UDASH! ASUM Transportation was founded in April 1999 and remains one of the only student-funded and operated transit agencies in the country. Since its founding, it has introduced electric buses and expanded its bike program to further support sustainable commuting at UM.
UM recertified its Bike Friendly University rating, once again achieving GOLD status.
With the support of two EVST students, we launched the Carbon Neutral Commuter program in fall 2024 with a total of 43 permits sold. The proceeds from this program purchase carbon offsets from the wells plugged by the Well Done Foundation, a Montana nonprofit that caps orphaned natural gas wells across the country.