University of Minnesota Duluth

Environment, Sustainability & Geography

Research group seated around a table with one student pointing towards a presentation screen.

Breaking out of silos to solve real-world problems

In Spring 2026, students and faculty members from very different corners of campus came together around a complex problem: food insecurity in Duluth’s Central Hillside.

Person in a red jacket walking through a pine forest.

Sparking a larger story

For the first time in more than 180 years, fire — Ishkode in Ojibwe — will return to Minnesota Point.

RIck Dalen and Adam Kemp holding cabbages in a farm field with an orange tractor and a German Shepherd.

Extending the season

University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) alumni find harmony in the harvest

Remi Foust in commencement regalia with other grads at Leif Erikson Park

Turning the page with confidence

Remi Foust found sustainable community, while pursuing her passions at UMD.

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.

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