The Duke University Greening Initiative is a primarily graduate student organization. While the organization is project-based, it focuses on projects that will further the institutionalization of sustainability at Duke. Recognizing that in a volunteer organization equal ownership is vital, DUGI operates on a non-hierarchical, concensus basis.

Mission

The Duke University Greening Initiative will develop a University ethic and practice in which all decisions take into account the environmental, social, and financial impacts of its actions locally, nationally, and globally. This ethic and practice will further the educational and societal missions of Duke University by ensuring the coordinated, innovative, and efficient application of its resources.

Vision

The Duke University Greening Initiative will integrate environmental stewardship into every facet of life at Duke University. The educational exchange and technical innovation encouraged by the Initiative’s activities will empower Duke University to lead in environmental sustainability. In doing so, the Initiative will advance the realization of the James B. Duke Indenture of Trust.

James B. Duke’s indenture of trust selects educational goals for Duke University that “can do the most to uplift mankind [and] will most help develop our resources, increase our wisdom and promote human happiness.” – “To these ends, the Mission of Duke University is to provide a superior liberal education to students, attending not only to their intellectual growth but also to their participation in their communities.” James B. Duke wanted Duke to stimulate all those associated with the University “to contribute in diverse ways to the local community, the state, the nation, and the world [while] maintaining a place of leadership in all that we do.” – To this end the Duke University Greening Initiative’s mission and vision makes the following contribution to Duke University’s fulfillment of James B. Duke trust.