UT has been selected as a Top 20 green power using university by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partnership.
The Green Power Partnership is a voluntary program that encourages organizations to use green power as a way to reduce the environmental impacts associated with conventional electricity use.
The Partnership’s Top 20 College and University list represents the largest green power users among higher education institutions within the Green Power Partnership, and the list is updated quarterly.
UT ranked tenth on the January 2013 list after not being ranked the previous year. UT is the only SEC school in the top ten and was noted for its use of biogas, small-hydro, solar, and wind resources, as well as its partnership with the Tennessee Valley Authority.
UT’s commitment to environmental responsibility has also been recognized by the Princeton Review and by the Sustainable Endowments Institute as one of the nation’s top campus sustainability programs.
Over the past eight years, the campus has used funds from the student environmental fee to gradually increase the amount of green power it purchases.
“This rating is a tribute to our students and their commitment to sustainability and the funding needed to make it happen,” said Dave Irvin, associate vice chancellor for facilities services.
For more information on UT’s sustainability initiatives, visit environment.utk.edu.
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C O N T A C T :
Amy Blakely (865-974-5034, ablakely@utk.edu)