Santa Clara University

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Aug. 6 -- From the first cup of coffee poured in the morning to the last piece of paper recycled at night, sustainable living is a part of life at Santa Clara University. And, this week the University's efforts are being recognized as the school is named one of the nation's 25 most environmentally responsible by the Kaplan College Guide 2009. The Guide features, for the first time, a list of green private and public colleges from across the nation. The University of California joins Santa Clara University representing the Golden State on the Guide's list. 

"Santa Clara provides numerous opportunities for students to become engaged in sustainable efforts here on campus. There are student internships at the office of sustainability, research projects focusing on sustainable food or waste reduction, student organizations, and workshops to guide personal development and reflection. Our ultimate goal is to help each and every student develop a culture of sustainability-we still have a long way to go, but it's nice to be recognized along the way," says Lindsey Cromwell, Sustainability Coordinator at Santa Clara University.

By embracing sustainability, the University furthers its mission to act as a voice of reason, conscience, and service to society. Sustainable projects and initiatives at Santa Clara include:

• A comprehensive recycling program
• A full-time sustainability coordinator on staff
• The purchase of 11,256 megawatt-hours of renewable wind energy
• A fleet of 30 electric cars in use by staff, replacing gas-powered vehicles
• Dining services offering local and organic produce
• A commitment to emission reductions of 20 percent below 1997 levels by 2010
• The ongoing Sustainable Living Undergraduate Research Project (SLURP), a program where students from different disciplines live on the same floor of a residence hall and work together on yearlong research projects designed to examine and create sustainable living.
• Solar Decathlon Team - Last fall the team won third place overall in the U.S. Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon competition on the National Mall, in Washington D.C. The students designed, built, and transported the house across country to compete in the decathlon with 19 other universities. Santa Clara is teaming up with California College of the Arts for the 2009 competition. Learn more about the Santa Clara's Solar Decathlon Team.

The Guide also lists 10 hot green careers-from environmental engineering to geothermal development-and includes interviews with professionals from each. The green schools and careers profiles are not rankings. Instead, they give students interested in sustainability and conservation well-researched ideas and a cross-section of options.

To develop the Guide, editors gleaned insights on green schools and professions from a wide array of constituents, including admissions directors, parents, students, and professionals. Kaplan reviewed a range of criteria to formulate its list of 25 green schools. Specific areas examined include: 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 2008. The list highlights schools whose efforts reflect a commitment to long-term sustainability and to encouraging students to make better choices.

The 25 green schools (alpha order) are:
Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
Bates College, Lewiston, ME
Berea College, Berea, KY
Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME
Carleton College, Northfield, MN
Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, ME
Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH
Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA
Duke University, Durham, NC
Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI
Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT
Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH
Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR
Penn State University, University Park, PA
Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA
Tufts University, Medford, MA
University of California, UC system
University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
University of Vermont, Burlington, VT
University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Yale University, New Haven, CT

To learn more about sustainable efforts at Santa Clara University, visit the Sustainability Web site.

About Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University, a comprehensive Jesuit, Catholic university located 40 miles south of San Francisco in California's Silicon Valley, offers its 8,685 students rigorous undergraduate curricula in arts and sciences, business, and engineering, plus master's and law degrees and engineering Ph.D.s. Distinguished nationally by one of the highest graduation rates among all U.S. master's universities, California's oldest operating higher-education institution demonstrates faith-inspired values of ethics and social justice. For more information, see www.scu.edu.

Media Contact: Deepa Arora - 408-554-5125; darora@scu.edu