Green College Spotlight: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, sustainability has quickly become a big priority and a major source of pride for students, faculty and staff. UNC-Chapel Hill is a ‘Campus Sustainability Leader’, meaning they scored among the top colleges and universities in the U.S. on the Green College Report Card.

UNC-Chapel Hill has launched a variety of sustainability initiatives in recent years, including making a commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 60% by 2050 and enacting a number of campus-wide energy efficiency efforts. Recently, the university began generating renewable energy thanks to a push by environmentally conscious students.

Check out the cool interactive energy efficiency map at the UNC-Chapel Hill Sustainability website. It allows you to view where major energy efficiency features are located on campus, and click on them to learn more. They include a thermal storage tank, a cogeneration plant and buildings with major energy efficiency upgrades. Similar maps are available for water management, sustainable food and dining and green buildings.

Every single building project at UNC must meet LEED silver standards, requiring 31 of the LEED points as mandatory. There is one completed LEED building on campus – the NC Botanical Garden Education Center, which is striving for platinum – and five more in the planning stages. Green features proliferate on many other buildings including green roofs on the Carrington Hall addition and solar panels on the rooftop of the Morrison Residence Hall.

In the UNC-Chapel Hill dining facilities, students enjoy locally produced foods that come from 28 North Carolina producers. Dining services composts food waste from Lenoir Dining Hall, Rams Head Dining Hall and the Friday Center. Used frying oil goes to a local biofuel producer. 48% of campus waste is recycled.

Many of the university’s 28,000+ students get around on a fare-free bus service that provides over 6 million rides annually, and a car sharing service is available as well. Three hybrid vehicles are available for rent, and a community bike-loan program offers bike rentals for use both around campus and the city.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is setting a great example for other schools across the nation, and we can’t wait to see how far they come in 2009.

Link [UNC Chapel Hill]

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