There’s no reason to stop being a friend to Mother Nature after Earth Day. In fact, many colleges across the globe work toward sustainability year-round. From using sand technology to regulate campus temperatures to harnessing the power of plants and farming, universities take amazing measures to ensure that our planet is respected and cared for every day. Sustainability has evolved into a lifestyle based on conscious decision-making as well. Not only are eco-friendly campuses great places for students who strive to live more sustainable lives, but they also show how easy it is to be environmentally sensitive.
But who decides how “green” these campuses are? The UI GreenMetric World University Ranking is organized by Universitas Indonesia and was first launched in 2010. These rankings were created in response to universities that were unrecognized for their efforts in reducing their carbon footprint and fighting climate change. The criteria for the rankings are setting, infrastructure, energy, climate change, waste production, water usage, transportation, education, and research. UI GreenMetric also looks at indicators to help decide where each campus falls under each criterion. Take a look at these eco-friendly universities from around the world as ranked by UI GreenMetric and how they do their part to take care of the environment.
1. Wageningen University & Research, Netherlands
There’s a reason UI GreenMetric repeatedly ranks this university as #1. For starters, according to its website, Wageningen University reduces water wastage via greywater and a cooling system designed to use less water in certain buildings. Spring water also replaces tap water in multiple locations on campus. And it doesn’t end there. Wageningen has a way to trap heat and cold in layers of sand underground that are used to cool the campus in the summer and warm it in the winter. They also use clean energy from wind turbines, biogas derived from dairy farms, and the plants they grow on their NIO-KNAW green roof, which also serves to collect water and control the temperature of the building it’s built on.
2. University of Nottingham, UK
It’s obvious that this institution is dedicated to cutting down on its carbon footprint. The University of Nottingham follows a carbon management plan and successfully reduced emissions by nearly 40% from 2010-2020. Newly established targets include a 63% reduction in emissions by 2030, a net zero carbon target by 2040, and an absolute zero carbon target by 2050. Every year, the school posts a report of its yearly energy consumption and carbon production. According to their website, they have experienced consistent progress under this management plan.
3. University of California, Davis
The University of California, Davis intertwines sustainability quite effectively into student life; it’s a perfect example of a school where “tree huggers” would thrive. The University’s website boasts at least 14 different ways in which it embraces sustainability. UC Davis vows to integrate “climate change and issues of sustainability throughout [its] curriculum.” Furthermore, by participating on the student farm—which supplies the Coffee House and other food services—students are taught how to grow food more sustainably. The University’s West Village has also become the biggest organized zero net energy community, which has been built to produce “all [the energy] the community needs, mostly through solar [energy].”
Around 40 of UC Davis’s buildings have been certified "green" by LEED, including student housing buildings, which function under their Tercero Phase Three project. The project’s sustainable strategies include harnessing the power of steam to manage building temperatures and reduce water consumption. Finally, in order to reduce waste and pollution, UC Davis uses the Renewable Energy Anaerobic Digester, invented by one of the University’s professors. This astounding invention can turn 100,000 pounds of waste into usable energy every day!
Related: 3 Ways to Live Sustainably on a College Campus
4. University of Oxford, UK
The University of Oxford has an Environmental Sustainability Strategy that they strictly adhere to, with goals to achieve net zero carbon and biodiversity net gain by 2035, among many others. By implementing “more efficient flushing mechanisms and ‘greywater’ where fresh water is not necessary,” the school comes closer to its goal each year. Cycling, walking, and avoiding driving a vehicle are all encouraged for students, as these transportation methods help lessen the emission of greenhouse gasses and campus traffic. Staff also opt to use video calls instead of traveling to recruit students, since air travel is one of the many air-polluting activities humans partake in.
5. Nottingham Trent University, UK
Nottingham Trent University uses the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals as a model for how it runs its campus. The school is committed to recycling 98% of the waste it produces, and all new buildings must meet the rigorous BREEAM standards. In order to meet these standards, energy must be used to a measured efficiency, and the building’s activity must minimally affect the environment. The second part of the BREEAM requirements is partially achieved under the school’s environmental management system, which helps the campus decrease pollution and other harmful effects on the ecosystem. And with its established Campus Travel Plan, NTU facilitates traveling by sustainable means by “encourag[ing] sustainable transport use to all campuses and discourag[ing] individuals commuting by car.”
Related: Related: Colleges That Offer Studies in the Environment and Sustainability
Even if you aren’t considering any of these institutions in your college search, you now have a better idea of the kind of measures a university campus can take to be more sustainable. Wherever your college career takes you, you can encourage your future campus to make similar efforts.
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