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Top five ways ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú has committed to the environment

ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University is 70th among the Sierra Club’s “Coolest Schools" 2019 ranking for the greenest colleges.

ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú is the of 282 schools based on food, energy, waste, research, transportation and curriculum.

The Sierra Club collaborated with the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education to gather raw data for the rankings.

Here are five green points of pride at ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú:

1. ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú consumes half the electric and fossil fuel of peers

With efforts that began more than a decade ago, ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú now consumes half the electric and fossil fuel of its private and public peers.

Among energy efficiencies achieved:

• ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú reduced its carbon footprint by 45% per gross square foot since 2008.
• ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú has not burned coal on site since 2016.

to see how ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú’s physical facilities’ energy systems has done more in 2018-2019 on conversions of energy systems off carbon-intensive steam.

The conversions — which will provide a path toward carbon neutrality — have reduced energy use and energy costs and increased energy efficiency. 

2. ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú earned gold in STARS sustainability rating 

ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú received its first STARS Gold rating in May 2019 in recognition of its sustainability achievements from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).

ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú achieved a silver rating in 2016 and in 2013. In 2016 ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú's stormwater management plan was noted by AASHE for geothermal wells, rain gardens and pond management that purify, cool and detain stormwater runoff that flows through storm drains, significantly reducing the amount of pollution and superheated water that flows to area creeks.

This progress comes as university leadership and energy engineers from physical facilities meld with a utility master plan.

3. ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú was named a

The Princeton Review’s Green Rating – which gave ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú a score of 96 out of 99 – provides a comprehensive measure of a school's performance as an environmentally aware and prepared institution. It includes:

• How well a school is preparing students for employment in the clean-energy economy of the 21st century, as well as for citizenship in a world now defined by environmental concerns and opportunities.
• How environmentally responsible a school's policies are.

4. ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú’s 29 LEED-certified buildings: 28% gsf of Oxford campus

Four buildings at  Gold or Silver rated, giving ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú four LEED Gold and 25 LEED Silver buildings. These buildings account for 28% of the gross square footage (gsf) of ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú's Oxford campus. 

ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú’s 2016 Sustainability Commitments and Goals call for achieving LEED Silver for all new construction and major renovation projects.

Learn more on the .

5. ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú’s Institute for the Environment and Sustainability predates EPA

ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú’s  (IES) celebrated its 50^th anniversary this year. Established in August 1969 as the Institute of Environmental Science, it predates the founding of the Environmental Protection Agency (December 1970).

Believed to be the oldest program of its type in the country, its professional master’s of environmental science degree program was created in 1971.