October 22, 2009
The UW’s ‘green honor roll’
The University has received many honors and awards for its sustainability efforts. Among the most recent are:
Sustainability Report Card, produced by the Sustainability Endowments Institute, gave the UW a grade of A- for the third year in a row, the highest grade awarded. Schools were graded on a variety of categories, including green building initiatives, transportation, climate-change policy, investment priorities and the administration’s efforts on sustainability.
Sierra magazine ranked the UW second in the country among universities. The magazine ranked the UW on eight factors and awarded a score of 98 out of 100.
Princeton Review named the UW to its Green Honor Roll, placing it among the top 15 universities in the country. The rankings were based on environmentally related policies, practices and academic offerings. The UW received a score of 99, the highest possible.
Inhabitat ranked the UW as the top green school in the country, noting the UW is the only university in the country that has consistently ranked at the top of three major surveys — Sierra magazine, Princeton Review and Greenopia. Their review notes that the UW has signed the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment and “were founding members of the Seattle Climate partnership.”
Greenopia named the UW its valedictorian among green universities. It praised the UW’s environmental reporting as well as its diversion of waste from landfills, its green energy mix and its emphasis on local food purchases.
The Kaplan Guide (2008) recognized the UW as one of 25 green colleges. The rating was based on a number of factors, including environmentally responsible campus projects; initiatives and courses offered; organizations and student groups on campus; and achievements noted in the
Sustainable Endowments Institute’s College Sustainability Report Card.
The Arbor Day Foundation conferred the title of Tree Campus USA University on the UW for its “dedication to campus forestry management and environmental stewardship.” The University of Washington is the first college or university in the state of Washington to be named a Tree Campus USA University.
The Floyd and Delores Jones Playhouse was recently a Gold LEED plaque from the U.S. Green Building Council, it is the one of the first LEED Gold theaters in the country.
