The University of New Mexico is a campus shaded by trees and underscored by a commitment to a more sustainable future. One of its guiding forces in this mission is the UNM Office of Sustainability.
Sustainability Engagement Coordinator Alejandría Lyons said the work of the office is largely two-fold, dealing on one side with University operations, changing the policies and practices of institutions to reflect sustainability goals. The other aspect is more student-facing, including “embedding sustainability culture at UNM,” Lyons said.
“We help with the sustainability aspects such as food waste, such as recycling, use more sustainable practices and be in partnership to make UNM a greener campus, so on the whole, that’s what the Office of Sustainability does,” Lyons said.
In October 2025, the Office of Sustainability released their five-year plan, titled the “Sustainability Strategic Plan 2025-2030.” The plan details specific goals for the University, including requirements for new buildings constructed to be electric, cultivation of pollinator-friendly plants and the reduction of food waste.
The 2025-30 plan is a subsect of the 2040 Plan put forth by President Garnett Stokes, which acts in favor of sustainability alongside other long-term University goals.
“I think it gives that goal that’s within the 2040 plan more teeth and a way to bring people together. I think when it comes to large climate plans or things like the Paris Accord, it’s kind of like ‘Who’s in charge of this?’” Lyons said. “And our office is there to kind of, I wouldn’t say be a watchdog, but like to be that co-facilitator, do the connective tissue, to make sure people are making those connections.”
As Stokes retires from the University, the Office of Sustainability hopes for collaboration with Stokes’ successor, Lyons said.
“We hope that the incoming administration for the president is somebody who would still be a champion of sustainability, still holds that goal really high in all of their messaging,” Lyons said.
Lyons said she’s noticed an uptick in student involvement with sustainability efforts in the current political climate.
“What I have seen is more students want to get involved. They want to create more efforts,” she said. “I think a lot of folks want to put their hands in the pie of sustainability. But we need a way so that those efforts carry forward after students graduate. So in a way, it’s the national stuff (that) has given pressure to students to want to be involved.”
The Office of Sustainability is hosting a calendar of events for Earth Month, including Campus Clean-ups of North and Main Campus on April 22 and April 24, and a Spring Garden Party on April 30.
Lyons also said that with UNM students interested in sustainability, small victories can have large impacts.
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“Don’t give up hope. Having come from my own journey of working in the nonprofit sphere, it felt like we were fighting such a huge, nebulous fight,” Lyons said. ”But I have felt more calm in this position because it feels like I’m working towards something that can be accomplished in my lifetime. It’s not necessarily the ending of oil and gas, but it is something — if we draw the boundaries around you and them, and we look specifically about how we can make an individual impact, that has helped me in this place.”
Addison Fulton is the culture editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on X @dailylobo
