University of Minnesota Duluth

Environment & Sustainability

Researcher Craig Hill, wearing a yellow hat, blue coat and life jacket, leans over the edge of a boat to deploy a small buoy next to a hazard marker

UMD recognized as a top performer in 2025 Sustainable Campus Index

The University of Minnesota Duluth’s campus-wide sustainability efforts earn a major accolade.

Two people wearing protective gear on a boat in a lake with smoke rising, surrounded by a forest backdrop.

Freezing history

UMD researchers are reconstructing climate records from layers of sediment at the bottom of Minnesota and Wisconsin lakes.

A student wearing winter clothing looks through a spotting scope during sunrise.

Prime educational habitat

Students visit one of the world’s best birding sites just beyond campus.

A colorful sunrise photo showing the Duluth Lift Bridge and Canal Park as taken from Lake Superior.

Our Climate Futures: Participatory Science on a Great Lake

A conference at UMD to facilitate community conversations that lead to equitable participatory science projects resulting in impactful adaptation and mitigation action.

a tree stands next to a modern building with rustic metal paneling in front of a smooth building of windows

UMD receives STARS Gold rating for sustainability achievements

Multi-year reporting of campus-wide sustainability efforts earns UMD major accolade.

A woman in a hard hat and reflective vest poses in front of domes structures

Positively impacting the region

Alumna keeps waterways clean from the helm of WLSSD.

A student wearing a UMD t-shirt lifts a shovelful of compost into the air.

Fields of study

UMD students put boots on the ground to better understand the natural environment.

A student dips a small container into a creek near a waterfall on a sunny evening.

Sourcing stormwater

UMD student analyzes water isotopes to better understand climate trends.

Seedling in the foreground and a few tree-planting volunteers and forest in the background.

Starting small

UMD graduate helps elementary school students plant 1,000 trees

The ceramic art installation titled “Reliquary of the North Shore” is displayed in the main commons on the second floor of UMD’s A.B. Anderson Hall.

“Reliquary of the North Shore”

A new ceramic art installation at the University of Minnesota Duluth aims to celebrate the biodiversity of Minnesota’s North Shore region.

Two UMD students handle water sampling equipment over a hole in the ice on a frozen lake.

Ecology under ice

UMD research is advancing our understanding of lake ecology in the winter.

An aerial view of Duluth's Aerial Lift Bridge with the sunset in the background.

UMN Hosts Two Climate-Related Conferences in Duluth

The University of Minnesota is hosting two conferences in Duluth next week with a focus on climate change impacts and solutions.

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