Main Campus with snow cover.

On an average UAlbany day, many of us probably don't feel much contact with our surroundings. Our water comes from machines and spigots, our air arrives from ducts and windows, our food arrives in trucks, and our weather just "arrives." All our waste products from an average UAlbany day somehow just go "away." It's easy to forget the important role your environment plays in everyday lives.

The Albany area is embedded in a whole system of wild and semi-natural areas that support us. Our water, some of the best in the world, arrives from reservoirs in the heavily-forested Helderberg Mountains to our southwest. Our air is cleansed by many kinds of forests, small and large, including beautiful trees on campus. Water that runs off our rooftops and parking lots drains into several creeks, which eventually transports the water into the Hudson River and out to sea. Our weather arrives from many directions, and is moderated by forests, fields and water bodies that cool down summer air, soak up pollution, and intercept rain and snow to prevent flooding.

Photograph of a section of Indian Pond.

Without the wild bees that hang out all around us and pollinate our crops and gardens, we would have far less food to eat. Without all the debris-eating creatures, from microbes to ants, worms, and beetles we would be surrounded by accumulating dead stuff. Wildlife of many varieties abounds and can be visible (or remain invisible) in and around the Capital region. So, when you add all this up, on an average UAlbany day, all of us are intimately connected to the outdoors.

Initiatives & Projects

	Indian Pond Restoration Project The pond, which is located on the uptown campus, was engineered to be a sustainable component for collecting storm water run-off from impervious surfaces on campus. The water is then discharged into nearby creeks and used for field irrigation.

Helpful Links

Office contact information: Mary Ellen Mallia Director of Environmental Sustainability University Hall 212E MMallia@uamail.albany.edu 518-956-8120