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A National Wildlife Federation report shows that the UA does exceedingly well compared to other universities when it comes to sustainability and conservation.

By La Monica Everett-Haynes, University Communications
September 5, 2008

One of the nation’s most green, environmentally literate and sustainability-conscious higher education institutions resides in Tucson.

When it comes to sustainability, The University of Arizona is one of the nation’s high achieving institutions, according to a report by the National Wildlife Federation and the Princeton Survey Research Associates International – “Campus Environment 2008: A National Report Card on Sustainability in Higher Education.”

On an 18-point measure that covered institutional goals, interdisciplinary degrees, conservation efforts, future sustainability efforts and other areas, the UA was noted to have more “exemplary programs” than most of the schools surveyed.

And the report – the largest study in the nation that tracks campus sustainability trends – also indicates that the UA has more exemplary programs than any other Pacific-10 Conference institution.

"We think this is one of the more comprehensive and holistic views of sustainability," said Glenn Schrader, who chairs the UA’s Campus Sustainability Committee.

"It isn't just about expertise in particular area, but it shows how the campus has developed many capabilities and attributes that contribute to sustainability," he said.

Schrader, also the chemical and environmental engineering department head, said the report gets to the complexity of what it takes to be a sustainable campus.

"It's a real challenge," he said. "We don't think we've reached the final goal yet, but the report is a very strong reinforcement that we're on the right path."

UA President Robert N. Shelton has long said that the University will work to become the leading expert on water and other environmental issues, among other areas and disciplines.

During his inaugural address in 2006, Shelton said if "questions about things like water sustainability are to be answered, I want those answers to be found first and best right here at the UA."

Last year, Shelton established the Campus Sustainability Committee and has supported a broad range of environmentally conscious initiatives on and off campus.

Using survey information, the report tracked the progress of nearly 1,100 colleges and universities in the United States and measured how well they are addressing conservation issues related to energy and water. The report also detailed course offerings and campus activities as well as institutional attempts to improve transportation, reduce waste and improve campus community-wide education on conservation.

Some are keenly focused on the call for more sustainable measures at the nation’s higher education institutions while most have not ushered in tremendous change since the first survey was taken in 2001.

But the UA was among those that had “high numbers of exemplary marks,” alongside schools like the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Michigan State University and the Georgia Institute of Technology, according to a release that accompanied the report.

In the area of “exemplary” programming and goal setting, the UA was recognized for being:

• One of 40 institutions named as “exemplary schools for environmental and sustainability goal-setting.” The UA is the only institution in the state of Arizona in that category.
• An “exemplary school for having recruiting programs and offering interdisciplinary degrees in environmental or sustainability studies.”
• One among 18 institutions – the UA being the only one recognized in Arizona – that have been named “exemplary for energy efficiency, conservation and renewable energy.”
• One among nearly 40 “exemplary schools for on-campus clean energy sources and co-generation.” In this category, the UA is the only institution in Arizona listed.
• One among 14 institutions and the only one in Arizona listed among “exemplary schools for transportation programs.”
• One among 46 schools and the only one in Arizona that is listed as being among the “exemplary schools for recycling, solid waste and materials flow.

The UA was listed as an exemplar for its plans to expand campus recycling and reduce or recycle waste and materials.

The report “reveals just how well institutions of higher learning are preparing students for the environmental challenges they will face in the 21st century,” Mary McIntosh, Princeton Survey Research Associates International lead survey researcher, said.

She continued: “Many of the men and women who will lead our businesses, educational institutions and government agencies in the next 20 years are in college now.”