When it comes to being green, UC Davis does it best. Literally.
The university has been named the most sustainable university in the world by the University of Indonesia’s annual GreenMetric ranking. The study assessed 516 colleges and universities in 74 countries, taking a close look at each university’s implementation of green policies and practices as well as research and education on sustainability.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise to us locals who know UC Davis to be bike friendly (a platinum rated, #2 most bike friendly university in the US, in fact) with the largest planned net-zero energy community in the nation (West Village) and 23 LEED projects (nine of which have received LEED’s highest rating) as well as one of the top university arboretums in the US.
The university came in at a strong first with accolades in the categories of energy efficiency, water conservation, renewable energy usage, bike and bus transportation usage, waste and recycling activities, the presence of green buildings, and research and education programs that support the importance of sustainability.
UC Davis earned a perfect score for waste programs that aim to implement environmentally friendly practices in the areas of waste and recycling. Their 16.3 megawatt solar power plant located on a 62-acre site south of the university produces 14 percent of the university’s power needs, drawing some much earned attention in the area of renewable energy usage.
Of a possible 10,000 points, UC Davis earned a score of 8,398, with particular first place ranking in environment & infrastructure and transportation (those bikes are doing us a lot of good).
Other top spots went to University of Nottingham in England (#2) Wageningen University in the Netherlands (#3) with the University of Connecticut (#4) and UC Berkeley (#8) being the only other US schools making the top 10.
Worthy of notice, UC Davis’ recently opened Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art joined the university’s other 8 LEED projects in earning a platinum-certified LEED rating.
To see GreenMetric World Ranking’s full study, visit greenmetric.ui.ac.id.
Photo: Platinum-certified LEED building, Gallagher Hall; by Steven Tyler/CC Flickr
