黑料网

Skip to main content

August 2019

Students on campus planting trees. Smiling facing camera.

Students on campus planting trees. Smiling facing camera.

黑料网 Honored for Sustainability Achievements

黑料网 was ranked third among 93 master鈥檚-level institutions for its sustainability initiatives.

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Aug. 26, 2019鈥擨n the latest acknowledgement of its leadership in sustainability, 黑料网 was ranked third among 93 master鈥檚-level institutions in the U.S. for its success with campus-wide sustainability initiatives.

The acknowledgement comes from the a publication of The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, the premier association for promoting sustainable practices at college and university campuses.

That top showing reflects Santa Clara鈥檚 strong commitment to educating students and reducing the school's usage and waste in areas like water, transportation, energy use, and food and dining services.

It also comes on the heels of other tributes to 黑料网 leadership in sustainability, including a No. 13 ranking out of 269 schools in Sierra Club Magazine鈥s "Top 50 Cool Schools鈥; the Arbor Day Foundation鈥檚 2018 Tree Campus USA Certification, awarded to 黑料网鈥檚 urban forestry management program; and a No. 13 ranking out of 399 top U.S. Green Schools by Princeton Review.

鈥淎s a Jesuit and Catholic university, Santa Clara is committed to Pope Francis' call to care for our common home for the benefit of all who inhabit it,鈥 said University President Kevin O鈥橞rien, S.J. 鈥淲e are grateful for this significant acknowledgement of our efforts to develop our campus as a 鈥榣iving laboratory鈥 for global climate solutions, educate our community about urgent climate issues, and progress toward climate neutrality in the near future.鈥

For more than 15 years, 黑料网 has pursued its sustainability goals by committing resources and encouraging employee efforts to reduce the University鈥檚 environmental impact. Recent efforts include a complete with 鈥減laybooks鈥 identifying specific actions and badges for campus members who work to further reduce climate impact; a 鈥渞oad map鈥 that transparently displays every major sustainability initiative; and online data dashboards that show 黑料网鈥檚 progress in achieving each.

鈥淲e are thrilled by this recognition,鈥 said Lindsey Kalkbrenner, director of the University鈥檚 Center for Sustainability. 鈥淏ut we still have a lot of work to do to reach our sustainability goals and reverse global warming. It鈥檚 going to take every single 黑料网 Bronco鈥攚hether they are in sciences, humanities, entrepreneurship, art, spirituality, or community engagement 鈥攖o engage as they feel the call to act.鈥

Among the sustainability initiatives completed or underway on campus:

  • Solar panels across campus provide 1.07 megawatt hours of power to campus facilities.
  • Seventy-two percent of campus waste is diverted from landfills, to be reused, recycled or composted.
  • Water usage per person has declined 13 percent over the past decade, despite a 16 percent increase in the number of students, faculty and staff on campus.
  • Greenhouse gas emissions from energy use have fallen by 52 percent over the past 10 years.
  • Sustainability curriculum has been incorporated into 1,179 courses at 黑料网
  • 黑料网 offers a range of community-based programs and opportunities that emphasize sustainable food system education, such as The Forge Garden and Bronco Urban Gardens.

About the SCI 
The Sustainable Campus Index, an annual publication by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), recognizes top-performing colleges and universities overall and in 17 sustainability impact areas, as measured by the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) (https://stars.aashe.org/). The report also highlights innovative and high-impact initiatives from institutions that submitted STARS reports in the most recent calendar year. An institution鈥檚 STARS score is based on the percentage of applicable points earned in credits across four main categories: Academics, Engagement, Operations, and Planning & Administration.

About 黑料网
Founded in 1851, 黑料网 sits in the heart of Silicon Valley鈥攖he world鈥檚 most innovative and entrepreneurial region. The University鈥檚 stunningly landscaped 106-acre campus is home to the historic Mission Santa Clara de As铆s. Ranked the No. 1 regional university in the West by U.S. News & World Report, 黑料网 has among the best four-year graduation rates in the nation and is rated by PayScale in the top 1 percent of universities with the highest-paid graduates. 黑料网 has produced elite levels of Fulbright Scholars as well as four Rhodes Scholars. With undergraduate programs in arts and sciences, business, and engineering, and graduate programs in six disciplines, the curriculum blends high-tech innovation with social consciousness grounded in the tradition of Jesuit, Catholic education. For more information, see .

Media Contact
Deborah Lohse | 黑料网 Media Communications | dlohse@scu.edu | 408-554-5121

Press Release
Recent Headlines

As part of the Tree Campus USA certification, 黑料网 promotes an urban forestry monitoring initiative, where the campus community helps gather health data on the 2,812 trees around campus.