The Sierra Club has just released its 10^th annual Cool Schools ranking, and for the 5^th consecutive year, UConn has maintained its position in the top 10! Accompanied by only one other university in this accomplishment, UConn has demonstrated incredible consistency and growth not only in environmental sustainability on campus, but in tracking and compiling data in a wide range of areas. The survey includes a variety of categories which encompass all aspects of sustainability in a university setting; UConn’s strengths included the water, waste, food, academics, innovation, planning, and purchasing sections.

Recent changes to the survey’s organization and weighting resulted in a noticeable shift in the members included in the top 10; many strong schools from previous years fell in rank, while new ones arrived. Significant weight was given to the fossil fuel divestment section, a factor that hurt many schools, including UConn. Nevertheless, our consistency can be attributed to our ability to score strongly in such a large number of sections, requiring the collective efforts of a variety of staff and faculty on campus, including Facilities Operation, Community Outreach, Dining Services, Transportation, Procurement Services, and Planning, Design and Construction.

UConn’s #9 ranking in the Sierra Club’s Cool School survey, as well as #2 position in the 2015 UI GreenMetric World Ranking and recent acceptance of the CT DEEP GreenCircle Award, all elevate the university’s visibility locally and at the international scale, while shedding light on our strong commitment to protecting our environment and creating a more sustainable campus for years to come.

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