Botanical Gardens

The UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens, located on campus, consist of the McMillan Greenhouse, the 7-acre Van Landingham Glen, and the 3-acre Susie Harwood Garden.  The mission of the gardens is to inspire a love for plants and nature through programming, classes, and botanical displays.  The gardens were begun in 1966 by the late biology professor emeritus, Herbert Hechenbleikner, to serve as a living classroom and have evolved into a multifaceted campus and public resource.  Collections include orchids, carnivorous plants, succulents, native plants, tropicals, and native collections including hardy outdoor trees, shrubs, wildflowers, and ferns.  The outdoor gardens are open seven days a week during daylight hours, and the greenhouse is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Students and the public are invited to visit, free of charge.  Visitors can check out a hammock at the greenhouse, or enjoy a picnic lunch at tables near the gazebo.  The Gardens also offer classes and events throughout the year, including two annual plant sales in the Spring and Fall, and an annual Valentine’s Day orchid sale. The plant sales help to support the operations of the Gardens, where admission is always free.  More information can be found online at gardens.charlotte.edu.

Environmental Health and Safety

It is the mission of the Environmental Health and Safety Office to support the University by working with all University community members to provide a safe and healthy working, teaching, learning and living environment.  This is accomplished by providing high-quality, responsive, customer-focused environmental health and safety services to the campus community.  It is our responsibility to develop environmental health and safety programs, maintain appropriate accident documentation, conduct safety inspections of all facilities and operations, audit safety programs, maintain all regulatory required reports, and generally work to reduce the risks of illness or injury.

All members of the University community share the responsibility to provide and maintain a safe and healthful campus environment and to reduce or eliminate known hazards.  Each individual is expected to exercise appropriate care in the conduct of his or her activities to preserve the safety and health of self and others.  For more information, please visit safety.uncc.edu.

Recycling

UNC Charlotte students recycle! Started in 1990 by engaged student representatives, the recycling program has grown from collecting just aluminum cans to more than 40+ items on campus.  Recycling stations are available in academic and administrative buildings, outdoor areas, and in all residence halls.

Recycling stations collect the most common recyclable items, including bottles and cans, paper, and cardboard. Weird Recycling Centers are provided in the Student Union and other locations to collect empty and clean plastic bags, cords/cables, batteries, printer cartridges, eyeglasses, and CDs. Packaging products are collected at Mail Services in Prospector, including cardboard and plastic film (wrap, bags, and air pillows).

An online tool, Waste Wizard, is available to look up any item or material to learn how it can be addressed on campus.  It can be found at recycling.charlotte.edu. Waste Wizard also includes items that the university can re-use or compost, and provides clear definitions of what items are trash.  Keeping trash out of our recycling is critical for getting those materials back into the Charlotte economy.

UNC Charlotte has events and volunteer opportunities to learn and help with recycling. Look for “Free Store” events at the start of a semester, to pick up office supplies collected for re-use. Resident Move-in and Move-out are major recycling events. Our stadium is a “zero-waste” facility by request of the Student Government Association, and student volunteers are critical to collect and sort materials from the large crowd events. Cleanups and an Adopt-a-Spot program help control litter.

For more information or to get involved, visit recycling.charlotte.edu and follow @unccrecycling on Instagram.