The signs of March Madness are everywhere: brackets litter office desks, smart phones buzz in a melody of score updates, the squeaking chirps of fast moving feet on wood floors echo from every sports bar and restaurant. Now I’m sure you have heard of the Elite Eight, but how about the EE Eight? The Alliance to Save Energy has ranked the top eight Energy-Efficient NCAA college campuses nation-wide.
In no particular order, the list is as follows:
University of Oregon- Eugene, Ore.
- UF President J. Bernard Machen was the first president to commit to reduce UF’s carbon emissions and educate its campus community about climate change.
- Since 2007, the UF has reduced its electrical consumption by 6.35% per gross square foot.
- UF requires all new buildings to be LEED certified.
Duke University- Durham, N.C.
- Beginning in 2011, the campus eliminated the use of coal from its steam plants as a part of its plan to become carbon neutral by 2024.
- The University currently has 22 LEED certified buildings.
University of California, Berkeley- Berkeley, Calif.
- By teaming up with PG&E, U.C. Berkeley has saved over $2.5 million annually though energy reduction.
- 7% of the campus’ total square footage is LEED certified.
- 21 water bottle station have reduced campus waste as well as campus water bottle sales by 48% since 2006.
The University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill, N.C.
- UNC is North Carolina’s first LEED platinum status state-owned building.
- Since 2003, UNC has reduced its energy use per square foot by 20%, saving the University $64 million.
- By upgrading their steam distribution system, UNC has reduced their thermal loss by 7%, and is saving approximately $1 million annually.
University of Wisconsin- Madison, Wis.
- The campus committed to reducing its energy usage by 20% though its We Conserve initiative.
- To date, the initiative has lowered the University’s energy usage by 1.2 trillion BTUs annually and energy costs by over $13 million.
University of Colorado- Boulder, Colo.
- The University was the first to establish a campus-wide recycling program.
- Despite campus growth of 25%, the University has still managed to cut energy use by 20% from its 2005 levels.
Syracuse University- Syracuse, N.Y.
- Since 2005, 20% of the campus energy comes from wind power.
- The University has installed an Energy Management System that monitors and schedules the HVAC and building access control systems in all campus buildings, this system reduces Syracuse’s energy usage by 15%.
You can click here to read the full article by The Alliance to Save Energy.
