UNC Institute for the Environment

The UNC Institute for the Environment (IE) fosters and conducts collaborations with faculty, students and staff across the university to identify and solve the world’s environmental challenges and sustain and improve the environment.  

The IE develops multidisciplinary collaborations to understand major environmental issues and engage myriad academic disciplines, public and private partners and an informed and committed community. Through IE’s air and water research centers, its public service and outreach, sustainability initiatives and field sites and experiential education programs, the IE provides interdisciplinary forums for faculty, students and community partners to meet pressing environmental challenges. 

Our Focus Areas

Our Greatest Needs

The Annual Fund is one of the Institute for the Environment’s key fundraising priorities. Donations from Carolina alumni, family, and friends allow the Institute to grow and enhance various environmental programs that benefit students and citizens worldwide. Your donations are immediately used to help fund programs that don’t have another immediate funding source, which is what makes donations to the Institute’s annual fund so important.

Community Outreach

Through our Center for Public Engagement with Science, the Institute partners with faculty to translate environmental knowledge and research results into action in North Carolina communities and beyond. Our informal science education and community engagement initiatives enhance public understanding of current environmental science and health research and its relevance to daily life, empowering North Carolinians to make informed decisions that protect the environment and public health.

Sustainable Carolina

Sustainable Carolina is the University’s comprehensive initiative to advance and amplify all sustainability activities and reduce the University’s environmental footprint. It works to build and balance societal well-being, ecological integrity, and economic prosperity now and into the future. Your support allows students to engage in cutting edge sustainability practices, moving the university toward our sustainability goals and preparing tomorrow’s sustainability leaders.