Emory’s Sustainability Program received the 15th annual Sustainable Development Award on Sept. 24 from the Urban Land Institute for leadership work on sustainable design and development.

Emory has stood out in as an institution that prioritizes green thinking in the middle of a large city, said Ciannat Howett, director of sustainability initiatives.

“Atlanta is a poster-child of sprawl,” she added.

Emory was one of the first institutions to equip its buildings for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, a rating system that judges efficiency and sustainability in green buildings, Howett said.

“Emory really shaped and changed the marketplace,” she said.

Emory also strives to provide sustainable food, which is “beyond organic; organic-plus,” Howett said.

Emory’s sustainability program sponsors a farmer’s market on campus to promote locally grown food. This began in summer 2008 and runs every Tuesday during the warm months of the year.

By giving a supportive arena for Atlanta-area vendors, Emory has influenced two local farms into becoming completely renewable. This is a challenging standard that takes into account the treatment of animals and workers, Howett said.

“That’s the type of thing the panel was looking for,” Howett said.

Other finalists for this year’s award were the Atlanta Botanical Garden and Trees Atlanta. Emory was the only university in the running.

The award is a culmination of the hard work of many people at Emory’s Office of Sustainability Initiatives, Howett said.

Howett said that winning the award does not mean that there is no longer any work to be done.

The newly-acquired Druid Hills Campus will encompass 700 acres, more than half of which will be left as protected “green” space. Emory is working to make sure that 75 percent of all of its cafeteria food is local or sustainable by 2015.

“We all know we have worlds to go,” Howett said, “but [this award] was a real boost, a shot in the arm.”

— Contact Jim Liepkalns.