The Sustainable Carolina Podcast

As the Carolina campus grows, special attention is placed on design, construction and renovation. As the oldest public University in the United States, there's a balance that comes with maintaining historic character while also creating efficient, modern buildings to support campus operations. It's urban planning at a University scale.

Interim Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities Services Howard Wertheimer and Chief Sustainability Officer Mike Piehler discuss Carolina's newest construction projects how how they're working to incorporate efficient, modern buildings onto UNC's campus.

Then, Ackerman Center for Excellence in Sustainability Executive Director Jeff Mittelstadt and Associate Director Ackerman Center for Excellence in Sustainability present on UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School's new Bell Hall, designed to meet LEED sustainability standards.

Sustainable Carolina works within the UNC Institute for the Environment to increase the University energy and water efficiency and decrease waste sent to the landfill. We work with student, staff and faculty to connect University research with these operational efforts.

This is the second installment of our summer bonus episodes, which are re-releases of our webinar series. This second episode explores UNC's research enterprise and how labs on campus are incorporating energy and water efficiency efforts in their spaces. 

At UNC, campus labs are the largest consumers of these two resources, so making strides to lessen our environmental impact while implementing cost saving measures is beneficial for everyone.

This webinar originally aired in October 2025, in celebration of University Research Week.

Panelists include:

• Sustainable Carolina’s Melanie Elliott and Langley Smith
• Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies Research Specialist Todd O'Buckley
• Renewable Energy Special Projects Committee Co-chairs Max Nelson and Tommy Zuchinalli
• UNC Biospecimen Processing Facility Research Specialist Brent Chen

Sustainable Carolina works within the UNC Institute for the Environment to increase the University energy and water efficiency and decrease waste sent to the landfill. We work with student, staff and faculty to connect University research with these operational efforts.

We "wood" love to talk about forests and trees forever, but to wrap up the season, we're bringing you three bonus episodes of the Sustainable Carolina Podcast.

The episodes are re-releases of our webinar series. This first episode comes from ourWelcome Back Webinar, which aired in fall 2025. It features Chief Sustainability Officer Mike Piehler, Sustainability Analyst Melanie Elliott, and UNC Transportation and Parking. 

In it, we discuss the history of Sustainable Carolina, our current initiatives, athletics sustainability, and safe and efficient campus transportation.

Sustainable Carolina works within the UNC Institute for the Environment to increase the University energy and water efficiency and decrease waste sent to the landfill. We work with student, staff and faculty to connect University research with these operational efforts.

During her time at Carolina, Alexia Civit took full advantage of hands-on offerings at the UNC Institute for the Environment. She's traveled to the Currituck Sound, Morehead City, Amazon and Galapagos for hands-on environmental experiences.

In this episode, she talks specifically about her experiences at the Outer Banks Field Site. Studying on the island, participating in field studies, and completing an internship opened her eyes to how truly vulnerable the Outer Banks are to our changing climate. 

Upon her return to Chapel Hill this spring, she had a better understanding of the intersection between policy and natural resource management. As a spring 2026 graduate, she looks forward to a career where she can create an impact and make change.

Sustainable Carolina works within the UNC Institute for the Environment to increase the University energy and water efficiency and decrease waste sent to the landfill. We work with student, staff and faculty to connect University research with these operational efforts.

Fresh off an epic 2,200-mile hike on the Appalachian Trail, Florencia Loncán began applying for her first post-grad job in spring 2025. She landed at the Triangle Land Conservancy, in a position she feels was made for her, where she could connect with the local community and get out into the field.

Florencia is a double Tar Heel, having earned an undergraduate degree in environmental science and a master’s degree from the Hussman School of Journalism and Media.

For her, conservation runs deep. As a graduate student, she discovered her love for Great Smokey Mountains National Park, where she spent a summer working for Discover Life America. When summer came to a close she did not want to leave. Lucky for her, she found a way back the following spring, when she completed her master’s thesis project in the Park.

The sum of these experiences makes our conversation with Florencia a dynamic one. Sometimes it’s hard to believe she’s just three years removed from graduate school.

Sustainable Carolina works within the UNC Institute for the Environment to increase the University energy and water efficiency and decrease waste sent to the landfill. We work with student, staff and faculty to connect University research with these operational efforts.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Fran, UNC Grounds' green recycling program began. That's because the University inherited the grinder used during storm cleanup, which made wood chips from downed trees.

Two decades later, University Arborist Tom Bythell asked administration to purchase a new grinder in order to continue green waste recycling program.

And a few years after that, Carolina Tree Heritage came along. The nonprofit, housed within the UNC Institute for the Environment, aims to utilize the oldest, biggest fallen trees on campus. The program proved to be an excellent opportunity for Tom to recycle even more trees, specifically ones that were too large for the University's grinder.

With these two methods of recycling trees on campus, the University recycles a majority of its landscape scraps.

Join us for this episode with UNC Institute for the Environment Associate Director Susan Cohen and University Arborist Tom Bythell, who manage the Carolina Tree Heritage program.

Sustainable Carolina works within the UNC Institute for the Environment to increase the University energy and water efficiency and decrease waste sent to the landfill. We work with student, staff and faculty to connect University research with these operational efforts.

Forests impact water and air quality, and our quality of life. That’s why we’re exploring forests and trees in this season of the Sustainable Carolina Podcast.

In this episode we talk with Jay Leutze, a double Tar Heel, author and land trust professional. An unscripted childhood outside, a love for reading, and dedication to his community has led to a life of stewardship and leadership. Earning his degree from the UNC School of Law taught him humility and respect. Today, he works with the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy, where he helps buy land for the purpose of conservation and preservation. 

After watching the community he lives in go through Hurricane Helene, he saw people set aside their differences to help one another. He truly believes that nature and conservation is a space that unites us.

Sustainable Carolina works within the UNC Institute for the Environment to increase the University energy and water efficiency and decrease waste sent to the landfill. We work with student, staff and faculty to connect University research with these operational efforts.

The new season of the Sustainable Carolina podcast kicks off with a special episode, recorded live during a Carolina Engagement Week Panel. 

From Highlands, North Carolina to the highlands of the Galápagos, Carolina’s communicators have stories to tell. Venture outside the confines of Chapel Hill to learn about the students and faculty conducting community-based research projects for a better future. This episodes discusses light pollution in the Outer Banks, hemlock health in the Appalachian Mountains, water security in the Galápagos and much, much more. 

This episode features:

• Alyssa LaFaro, Research Communications Manager, UNC Office of Research Communications, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research
• Kelly Weaver, Deputy Director, UNC Center for Galapagos Studies
• Emily Williams, Director of Communications, UNC Institute for the Environment
• Abigail Brewer, Communications and Engagement Specialist, Sustainable Carolina

Sustainable Carolina works within the UNC Institute for the Environment to increase the University energy and water efficiency and decrease waste sent to the landfill. We work with student, staff and faculty to connect University research with these operational efforts.

Six million people living in the United States do not have access to safely managed sanitation. But Amy Kryston is cautiously optimistic that this public health problem can be solved in our lifetimes.

In 2022, Amy began a deep dive into this staggering statistic. Through the UNC Institute for the Environment's Environmental Justice Graduate Research Award, she wrote a systematic review  on the social barriers to adequate wastewater treatment.

Her work was published in the International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health in 2024. She hopes the review can be a jumping off point for policymakers, municipalities and governments working to address this public health problem.

Sustainable Carolina works within the UNC Institute for the Environment to increase the University energy and water efficiency and decrease waste sent to the landfill. We work with student, staff and faculty to connect University research with these operational efforts.

"Anyone who thinks they're too small to make a difference has never met the honey bee." 

Nathan Halsey, co-president of the Carolina Beekeeping Club lives by this quote. As a high school student during the pandemic, he picked up beekeeping. When he arrived to Carolina, he knew he wanted to continue his business, Halsey's Hives. But he also wanted to make an impact on campus. In this episode, he shares how he balances running a business, building awareness for beekeeping at Carolina and succeeding in academics.

Sustainable Carolina works within the UNC Institute for the Environment to increase the University energy and water efficiency and decrease waste sent to the landfill. We work with student, staff and faculty to connect University research with these operational efforts.