Spring Break
The Daily OrangeSU earns B- for environmental efforts in 2007
By Lisa Labbe
Posted: 11/1/07, 12:53 AM EST Section: News
Students know green initiatives when they see them: the separate bins for recycling in their dorm rooms and in campus buildings, and the new Centro hybrid buses that shuttle them to and from South Campus.
Yet it seems Syracuse University students are not as capable of articulating the programs initiated by the university to spur environmental change and sustainability.
"The only thing I know that's really done is they have separate bins for paper, cans and cardboard," said sophomore history and art history major Jennifer Gramer. "There doesn't seem to be a huge push towards being environmentally friendly, at least that I've seen here."
In the second annual report card put out by the Sustainable Endowments Institute, Syracuse received an overall grade of B- for its environmental programs, an improvement from last year's C+.
SU's strongest areas were in administration and climate change and energy, for which it earned As. For the categories of food and recycling, transportation and green building, it earned Bs.
Some initiatives, which have not been very visible to students, were noted in the report.
In February, Chancellor Nancy Cantor signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, an agreement of 424 college presidents and chancellors "to neutralize greenhouse gas emissions, and to accelerate the research and educational efforts of higher education."
As a result of that agreement, a committee was formed to monitor the university's progress in becoming carbon neutral and developing a curriculum to educate students about environmental issues.
Despite its students' views, SU has taken initiatives to become an environmental sustainability leader. One recent effort included guaranteeing to purchase 20 percent renewable energy. The move was in response to a campaign launched by the Student Environmental Action Coalition (SEAC), a campus environmental group.
SU now buys more local and organic foods, while partially switching to environmentally friendly "to go" containers in the dining halls and beginning a composting program. Also, most of the on-campus buses run some form of clean natural gas.
Yet it seems Syracuse University students are not as capable of articulating the programs initiated by the university to spur environmental change and sustainability.
"The only thing I know that's really done is they have separate bins for paper, cans and cardboard," said sophomore history and art history major Jennifer Gramer. "There doesn't seem to be a huge push towards being environmentally friendly, at least that I've seen here."
In the second annual report card put out by the Sustainable Endowments Institute, Syracuse received an overall grade of B- for its environmental programs, an improvement from last year's C+.
SU's strongest areas were in administration and climate change and energy, for which it earned As. For the categories of food and recycling, transportation and green building, it earned Bs.
Some initiatives, which have not been very visible to students, were noted in the report.
In February, Chancellor Nancy Cantor signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, an agreement of 424 college presidents and chancellors "to neutralize greenhouse gas emissions, and to accelerate the research and educational efforts of higher education."
As a result of that agreement, a committee was formed to monitor the university's progress in becoming carbon neutral and developing a curriculum to educate students about environmental issues.
Despite its students' views, SU has taken initiatives to become an environmental sustainability leader. One recent effort included guaranteeing to purchase 20 percent renewable energy. The move was in response to a campaign launched by the Student Environmental Action Coalition (SEAC), a campus environmental group.
SU now buys more local and organic foods, while partially switching to environmentally friendly "to go" containers in the dining halls and beginning a composting program. Also, most of the on-campus buses run some form of clean natural gas.
Be the first to comment on this story