Welcome to the Center for Sustainable Energy & Environmental Engineering
CSE3 at East Carolina University was originally established in the mid 1990s as the Center for Sustainable Tourism. In the fall of 2013, the Center expanded its research activities to include sustainable energy, natural resources, and the built environment. Today, the Center primarily focuses on collaborative research in areas of sustainable energy and ecological systems. The Center also partners with numerous industries and organizations within North Carolina on a variety of sustainability issues. Faculty and staff at the Center have expertise in areas such as energy conversion, thermo-fluids, renewable energy, coastal engineering, and engineering education. The Center seeks to establish partnerships with businesses, organizations and industry to foster efforts that benefit the communities of North Carolina and the broader global community.
UPCOMING EVENTS
No events scheduled.
What is Sustainability?
Sustainability is forward innovation. It is change that keeps the thought in mind that everything needed for survival depends either directly or indirectly on the environment. So sustainability is an ongoing pursuit to create and maintain conditions under which humans and nature can coexist in dynamic harmony.



The Three P’s of Sustainability
Sustainability is malleable. It isn’t constrained to one industry — it affects all. Being sustainable is an ongoing practice; a journey to enhance practices to increase well-being for people and the natural environment. In order to be sustainable, three elements need to take priority: (1) People, (2) Planet, and (3) Profit. To achieve sustainability, people must benefit and be included in decision making. The environment and natural resources need to be conserved and protected. Finally, sustainable efforts need to be efficient and viable. Through a combination of these elements, sustainability can be accomplished.