NEW ORLEANS – Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser and Keep Louisiana Beautiful (KLB) have awarded $43,722 through the University Affiliate Grant Program to eight Louisiana universities to support student-led recycling initiatives and reduce single-use plastics.
“These students are shaping the next generation of environmental leaders,” said Lieutenant Governor Nungesser. “Investing in campus programs today ensures cleaner communities and waterways for tomorrow.”
Funded by a five-year EPA Gulf Trash-Free Waters Grant, the program supports projects at Dillard University, Louisiana State University, Louisiana Tech University, Loyola University New Orleans, Nicholls State University, Tulane University, the University of Louisiana at Monroe, and the University of New Orleans.
Campus Sustainability Initiatives
The selected projects will support the following campus initiatives:
- Expanding recycling infrastructure and operations
- Installing water bottle refill stations
- Reducing single-use plastics in dining services
- Adding equipment like tilt trucks and cardboard balers to improve recycling
“Our University Affiliates are leading by example,” said Susan Russell, KLB Executive Director. “These efforts will reduce waste, increase recycling, and protect Louisiana’s waterways.”
The University Affiliate Program, launched in 2021, promotes sustainability and litter prevention across Louisiana’s colleges and universities. It is part of a larger effort funded by a five-year, $500,000 EPA Gulf of Mexico Trash-Free Waters Grant secured by the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, with Keep Louisiana Beautiful serving as a sub-recipient. The grant helped launch the program, develop tools including a litter assessment app and educational training videos, and fund competitive campus grants.
The program is designed to engage campuses in continuous sustainability improvement. Affiliates are part of a statewide movement that includes more than a dozen colleges and universities committed to environmental stewardship, waste reduction and litter prevention.
Statewide Impact and Program Growth
Keep Louisiana Beautiful’s broader impact statewide has been significant. In the 2024–25 cycle, its programs involved tens of thousands of volunteers, removed thousands of tons of litter from waterways and roadways, facilitated recycling events, and engaged schools and communities in environmental education and cleanup efforts.
The affiliate grants are one part of a suite of funding programs the organization administers. Since 2004, Keep Louisiana Beautiful has awarded millions in grants to support litter abatement, waste reduction, recycling and environmental education across the state.
Affiliate status itself is a mark of distinction for campuses, promoting student environmental leadership and offering opportunities such as service-learning projects, data collection experience and networking through the University Sustainability Coalition, a peer network that shares strategies and best practices across institutions.
