UNH Sustainability for Today & Tomorrow
As a public university and a national leader in sustainability, we have a unique role to play, and we would say obligation, in helping bring solutions to some of the most urgent issues of our time and advancing a sustainable and resilient future. Because of UNH’s foundation of, and commitment to, sustainability practices, we have a powerful platform to train future professionals and changemakers, as well as support businesses, municipalities and non-profits across the region, in a uniquely different way. The Sustainability Institute’s university-wide programs are explicitly linked to these practices and allows us to:
- Create transformative learning experiences for students and community members alike
- Cultivate a built-in vibrant network of professionals and emerging professionals, all committed to sustainable practices
- Construct a structured environment to make positive impact on and off campus
We could not do this work without our generous supporters and champions of sustainability who have been critical in advancing our work.
Students share the impact sustainability education and experiences have made on their lives and future careers.
Contact Cailand Laney discuss your gift.
Alnoba Lewis Family Foundation
The supports the development of bold leaders through a number of experiential education programs at the UNH Sustainability Institute:
- Sustainability Institute Interns have a seat at the table, working alongside professionals to make UNH more sustainable, while gaining real-world experiences and leadership skills.
- The Foundation also supports students in growing partnerships with international NGOs to work on community projects through the International Changemaker Grant.
Larrea Family Foundation
We are grateful to the Larrea Family Foundation for supporting our students in a variety of ways through our experiential education programs.
"A graduate of UNH, I was delighted to learn that my alma mater is a national leader in sustainability, ingraining sustainable habits into the campus culture, offering sustainability dual major programs and building capacity to create, support and strengthen sustainability initiatives in businesses, municipalities and state and regional entities across New England. We hope our ongoing support of the UNH Sustainability Institute will help expand its impact and reach."
– Diana Keohane, Larrea Family Foundation
Jane's Trust Foundation
A private family foundation dedicated to creating a more socially just and environmentally sustainable world in which all people thrive through education and deep connections with family, community, and the natural world, has been supporting UNH Sustainability Fellows for over 10 years. We are deeply grateful for their support in growing the next generation of sustainability leaders, while supporting and collaborating with the leaders of today.
The Sorensen Family
The Sorensen Family Endowment has been providing extraordinary real-world experiences for UNH students since 2019. Each year, their endowed fund supports a Sustainability Fellowship – helping students with critical sustainability skills and in turn, helping host organizations (who otherwise could not afford to host a Sustainability Fellow) to meaningfully enhance their sustainability practices. 2025 Fellow, Shane Gleeson ’27 (analytical economics and sustainability dual major), worked with the Hampton Area Chamber of Commerce. He continued and expanded their Career Pathways Trades Awareness Program, which helps connect students to careers in skilled trades by providing scholarships and connecting them to career resources. .
Thomas W. Haas Professorship
The Thomas W. Haas Professorship of Sustainable Food Systems is a fully funded professorship which aims to advance sustainable agriculture, food choices, nutrition, and economic and social well-being on and off campus. It provides resources to a College of Life Sciences and Agriculture faculty member to focus on long-term network design and planning for the New Hampshire and New England food systems. We will be appointing the new Haas Professorship in spring 2026.
Henry David Thoreau Foundation
A charitable trust that propels environmental leadership across disciplines, the has played a pivotal role in supporting undergraduate students through our and B Impact Clinic. Student teams are working with organizations in NH and beyond to conduct carbon footprints and develop climate action plans, or to assess their social and environmental impacts.
Josephine A. Lamprey (1940-2023): UNH Sustainability Champion
To say that Jo played a transformational role at the UNH Sustainability Institute is an understatement. In life, Jo was a trailblazer and a changemaker. Inspired by what she learned from UNH sustainability experts, Jo Lamprey began supporting UNH’s Sustainability Institute in 2011, including for the Summer Sustainability Fellows program and other initiatives.
Jo’s philanthropic support has been especially significant because while she wanted to support one of UNH’s key focal areas, climate and energy, she also fully embraced the integrated nature of sustainability and understood that issues of climate and energy are indivisible with issues of biodiversity, culture, and food systems. Her support has allowed UNH to advance programs and activities that reflect the interconnected issues of sustainability and has been pivotal on many levels. It is notable that she chose to support UNH, even though this isn’t her alma mater, because of the significance of UNH’s work in sustainability for the state, region, and world. Jo will be deeply missed and always remembered.
