ASU named sixth most sustainable university in Sierra Club 'cool school' list

ASU, despite being located in one of the least sustainable cities in the country, has been named sixth on the Sierra Club’s Cool Schools list, a commendation given to the most sustainable universities in the country. This ranking is a five-spot increase from last year when ASU came in 11th.

The University's sustainability metrics back up the listing — 12 percent of the university is run on renewable power, a number Michael Dalrymple, director of ASU’s sustainability practices, said is expected to increase by nearly 150 percent next year.

Other sustainable recognitions ASU has received include The League of American Bicyclist's gold-certification as a bike-friendly campus and the downtown Phoenix campus is bronze-certified. Tempe’s water usage has also dropped nearly 7 percent per capita over the past four years, according to a 2015 report from the Arizona Republic.

The Sierra Club’s ranking system is based on different criteria including energy, innovation and waste and water management. The University wasn't ranked as unilaterally perfect — it did poorly in purchasing sustainable goods, but it earned a full score in innovation and scored near the top in sustainable planning.

Many of these changes can be credited to the University’s Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability, which is now celebrating 10 years of operation.

http://www.statepress.com/article/2016/09/spscience-asu-sixth-most-sustainable