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Sustainability Awards Round-Up

A student at Chainlinks, ÎçÒ¹AV's on-campus bike shop.

2016 was a stellar year for ÎçÒ¹AV and sustainability initiatives across our campus. Take a look at some of the awards we received for the work the Office of Sustainability does on campus.

  • Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) Sustainability Campus Index - Top Performer in Transportation. The 2016 Sustainable Campus Index, a publication of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), highlights top-performing colleges and universities in 17 areas and overall by institution type, as measured by the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS).

  • League of American Bicyclist: Bike Friendly University: Silver level. This program recognizes institutions of higher education for promoting and providing a more bikeable campus for students, staff, and visitors. The BFU program provides the roadmap and technical assistance to create great campuses for cycling. There are now 164 Bicycle Friendly Universities in 44 states and Washington, DC. Our standing is good for four years.

  • Green Electronics Council: EPEAT Sustainable Purchasing Award.  EPEAT is a trusted source of environmental product ratings that makes it easy for purchasers to select high-performance electronics that support their organization’s sustainability goals. ÎçÒ¹AV was recognized for its procurement efforts in these categories: PCs and Displays, Imaging Equipment and Televisions.

  • Ranked No. 7 in Sierra Club Cool School Listing. The 2016 Cool Schools rankings, released September 6, place ÎçÒ¹AV at No. 7 out of more than 200 participating schools. ÎçÒ¹AV is the only Illinois university in the Top 30 in the rankings, and the only Chicago school to crack the Top 90. ÎçÒ¹AV ranked No. 4 in the 2014 rankings. The Sierra Club praised ÎçÒ¹AV for several green initiatives including its eco-friendly residence halls, its extensive biodiesel program, and its trayless cafeterias (which help reduce food waste).

  • Princeton Review: Green Schools list Top 50.  ÎçÒ¹AV University of Chicago was mentioned by the Princeton Review as a top 50 green school.

  • Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities / EcoAmerica / Solution Generation - Climate Leader (for all Catholic Colleges and Universities). In a ceremony on January 29,2017, President Jo Ann Rooney represented ÎçÒ¹AV in receiving an award for Climate Leadership from the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities and Solution Generation. ÎçÒ¹AV's Director of Sustainability Aaron Durnbaugh submitted the application on behalf of ÎçÒ¹AV to demonstrate the university's leadership on climate action and this funding will support ÎçÒ¹AV students implementing climate action in our surrounding neighborhoods of Edgewater and Rogers Park through LakeShore Community Partners.

  • Bike Commuter Challenge. In the 2016 Bike Commuter Challenge, ÎçÒ¹AV ranked 5th overall in miles and 6th overall in riders.  

  • RecycleMania Game Day Basketball: 1st Place. Last year’s Zero Waste Game resulted in a 96% diversion rate of trash. Go Ramblers!