Sustainable Environment

Managing natural resources and developing sustainable alternative energy sources are among the most critical challenges facing the world today. Clemson University’s strengths and expertise in alternative energy technologies, water resources, sustainable agriculture, the built environment and the natural environment come together to address these challenges on many fronts.

Clemson faculty, staff and students are agents of positive change, working in collaborative partnerships through the Baruch Institute of Coastal Ecology and Forest Science, the Clemson Institute for Environmental Toxicology, the Clemson Environmental Institute, the South Carolina Institute for Energy Studies, the Clemson University Restoration Institute, the Center for Nuclear Environmental Engineering Sciences and Radioactive Waste Management, and the Warren E. Lasch Conservation Center.

Among the innovative efforts under way:

• A new biofuels research plant at the Clemson University Restoration Institute near North Charleston will seek ways to use South Carolina resources to reduce the nation’s dependency on fossil fuels and enhance the state’s alternative fuels industry.
• The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded $2 million to Clemson for hydrogen energy research and development projects in collaboration with the Savannah River National Laboratory.
• Clemson biosystems engineer Caye Drapcho is investigating the use of rotten peaches as a biofuels source, by harnessing a bacterium that converts sugar in the peaches to hydrogen.

With facilities throughout South Carolina and beyond, Clemson is positioned to lead the way in all facets of environmental sustainability.

Agroecology Program
Belle W. Baruch Institute of Coastal Ecology and Forest Science
Clemson Institute for Environmental Studies
Clemson Institute for Environmental Toxicology
Clemson University Restoration Institute
South Carolina Institute for Energy Studies