What does an investment in the next generation of sustainability leaders actually look like?

This summer, Southface welcomed partners and funders behind the BIT for Resilient HBCUs program to @spelman_college spelman_college for a firsthand look at what their support is making possible. The visit highlighted the journey our student Fellows have taken—from learning to see their campus buildings differently and using professional tools to collect real-world data, to identifying more than 150 opportunities across five HBCU campuses to improve building performance, occupant experience, and resource efficiency. The highlight of the day was hearing directly from Kelsey Harpe, Spelman's Indoor Air Quality Champion, before joining Art Frazier, Director of Facilities Management and Services, for a tour of Giles Hall. What began as a real campus need became a real-world learning opportunity, allowing students to apply their skills while working alongside campus facilities professionals. We're especially grateful to Kelsey, Art, Iesha, and the entire @sustainablespelman team for their ongoing partnership and commitment to creating meaningful, hands-on learning experiences for students. This work is possible because of an incredible ecosystem of support. Thank you to @sustainourfuturefoundation , our program co-developer and primary funder; @microsoft , whose support of SOFF is helping expand climate leadership opportunities at HBCUs; @environmental_defense_fund Fund, our Indoor Air Quality Best Practice Sponsor; @regoapp.io , our Waste Best Practice Sponsor; and @wsp.usa , whose technical expertise continues to strengthen the program. Having Anjali Balakrishna from Microsoft and Ranjith Annepu and Kiana Cardwell from WSP on campus made the day especially meaningful. Rather than reading about the program in a report, they experienced its impact firsthand through the voices of the students. This is what investing in the next generation of climate leaders looks like. #HBCUs #ClimateAction #WorkforceDevelopment #BuildingPerformance #SouthfaceInstitute #Sustainability #HigherEducation