Green College Spotlight: Arizona State University at Tempe
Arizona State University at Tempe is one of the nation’s greenest colleges, gaining a lot of ground since just last year. ASU has been working really hard to green up their campus and get students involved, and all their hard work has paid off – they’re on the ‘Green Honor Roll’ for their B+ grade on the College Sustainability Report Card.
ASU’s President, Dr. Michael Crow, didn’t just sign the Presidents Climate Commitment – he co-founded it. With that kind of initiative in the school’s leader, it’s only natural that ASU has become such a green college rock star. As part of their commitment to climate neutrality, ASU recently completed the ASU Energy Conservation Project, which retrofitted nearly 80 campus buildings to increase efficiency, reducing annual carbon emissions by 70 million pounds. ASU is also installing solar panels on the roofs of Tempe campus buildings, and will soon install even more on the West campus.
All new buildings at ASU must meet LEED silver certification, and the university already has a whopping 11 LEED-certified buildings including four Gold and one Platinum. The university’s green purchasing policy means that only green cleaning products are used and Energy Star and recycled products are preferred. In the dining hall, you’ll find fresh, local food from 35 local growers and producers and from gardens on campus. ASU also has its own eco-conscious restaurant, Engrained, which features local, organic, seasonal and humanely treated ingredients on its menu.
Students, faculty and staff get around on an inter-campus shuttle, or on bicycles – ASU student government sponsors a half-price bike co-op and a bike-share program. ASU’s fleet will soon be run on alternative fuels, including two solar powered carts.
Arizona State University students are as dedicated to the green cause as the university’s leadership. ASU has seven sustainability-related organizations including a vegetarian/vegan group, and students frequently participate in recycling drives, energy efficiency competitions and other eco-friendly initatives.
ASU even teamed up with environmental site Grist.org to provide students, faculty and staff with the latest environmental news, commentary and advice through a biweekly email. The email newsletter includes not just the latest green headlines, but also news relating to ASU’s local area and coverage of issues relating to the university.
Of course, ASU is probably best known for its world-renowned Global School of Sustainability, which offers undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees that prepare students to become the green leaders of the future.
For the latest news on green goings-on at Arizona State University, check out ASU News.
Related posts:
- Green College Spotlight: Brandeis University
- Green College Spotlight: University of Florida at Gainesville
- Green College Spotlight: University of New Hampshire
- Green College Spotlight: Emory University
- Green College Spotlight: University of Minnesota
This entry was posted on Monday, May 4th, 2009 at 10:00 am and is filed under Consciousness, Green Living, Health, Science, Spirituality. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
