Get Involved

Sustainability Leadership Group (SLG)

The Sustainability Leadership Group (SLG) is an opportunity designed specifically for sustainability-minded first-year students to gain leadership experience early on in their Wake Forest careers. Entering its sixth year with over 100 SLG alumni, the program has established itself as the premier leadership opportunity for new Deacs who share a passion for sustainability.

SLG members are selected through an application process that is made available to incoming first-year students each summer. All incoming first-year students are eligible, regardless of knowledge, experience, or intended major. 

Campus Garden Opportunities

The Campus Garden is Wake Forest’s regenerative agriculture demonstration space. Students, faculty, and staff can visit the Garden to practice the fundamentals of gardening, lead peers in productive work that helps alleviate hunger, and learn about the ways in which regenerative agriculture can combat climate change. Feeling stressed? Come hold one of our chicks, listen to the honeybees buzz, and get your hands in the soil.

Volunteer hours in the Campus Garden are open to all students, faculty, and staff. Volunteer hours are offered on weekdays and Sunday evenings during the academic year. Track your hours on GivePulse or simply show up; no experience is required!

Student Internship Program

Dating back to 2010, the Office of Sustainability’s internship program provides Wake Forest students with the opportunity to gain experience, build professional skills, and make a tangible impact on sustainability on campus. Each project-based internship position focuses on a specific area of sustainability, with topics fluctuating year-to-year based on changing needs and opportunities. 

To date, over 160 students have been sustainability interns, with stints ranging from one semester to 3.5 years. All positions are paid.

Earth Month

The Office of Sustainability facilitates Wake Forest’s annual Earth Month celebration from mid-March to late April. Join us and our campus partners each spring for engaging events, experiences, and a renewed sense of community along the way. 

Signature annual events hosted by the Office of Sustainability during Earth Month include the Spring Equinox celebration, the Champions of Change Campus Sustainability Awards, and Earth Talks. All Wake Forest students, faculty, and staff are invited to host programs during Earth Month.

Volunteer Opportunities

Opportunities to volunteer are ever-changing and are shared widely via email. To receive emails about volunteer opportunities, email sustainability@wfu.edu to be added to the list.

The best way to learn about all upcoming opportunities and events is by following us on social media (@sustainableWFU) and signing up for our newsletter.

Earth Talks

Submit a proposal to be a part of our annual Earth Talks! Earth Talks is a series of short, student-led presentations focused on sustainability topics. Each talk is led by a Wake Forest student or group of students who are eager to share their knowledge, passions, or research with the Wake Forest community. Most importantly, you do not need to be an expert to present; everyone is welcome to be part of this sharing community.

Sustainability Ambassadors

Being a Sustainability Ambassador is the newest way to get involved in sustainability at Wake Forest. All you need is an interest in sustainability, a willingness to learn, and a desire to be a positive influence on your fellow Deacs!

Sustainability Ambassadors start out with a short training session to learn the basics of sustainability, what it looks like at Wake Forest, and what it means to “Keep the Forest Green.” From there, you’ll be able to chart your own path, choosing from activities such as outreach events, volunteering with the Compost Crew, speaking to student organizations, tabling, organizing sustainable events, developing campaigns, and more!

Keynote
Speaker Series

Since its founding in 2009, the Office of Sustainability has invited internationally renowned artists, activists, authors, scientists, and conservationists to speak at Wake Forest. Through partnership with departmental co-sponsors, our keynote lectures facilitate cross-disciplinary discussion and engagement with sustainability topics. Lectures are free and open to the public.

Previous speakers have included: three-time U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo (2022), activist and writer Raj Patel (2019), urban revitalization strategist Majora Carter (2018), award-winning writer and conservationist Terry Tempest Williams (2017), Rolling Stones keyboardist Chuck Leavell (2016), and activist and scholar Vandana Shiva (2014), among others.