This is the fourth year in a row UofL has improved its grade on the report card issued by the Sustainable Endowments Institute, a Rockefeller Philanthropy project that rates 332 schools in the United States and Canada on how eco-friendly they are.
Berea, which also earned a B+, was the only other Kentucky school that scored as high on the organization’s 2010 report card.
UofL received an A in five of the nine rating categories: administration, climate change and energy, transportation, endowment transparency and investment priorities.
“It’s heartening to see our efforts recognized,” said UofL President James Ramsey. “About two years ago, we made sustainability one of our top priorities. Our university has been working very hard to gain ground in this area.”
Last year, Ramsey signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, a campaign launched by more than 600 higher education institutions to curb global warming. Since then, UofL has begun a $21.7 million project to trim its energy use, compiled its first greenhouse gas emissions report, formed a university-wide Sustainability Council and hired a new sustainability coordinator in its efforts to become greener.
UofL’s strategic plan sets measurable goals for improving its sustainable practices through 2020, including boosting its score in a Sustainability, Tracking and Assessment Rating (STAR) system being developed by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.