The Sierra Club has recognized Denison University for its sustainability efforts, adding the university to its “2016 Cool Schools” list. Denison’s rich history of sustainability began in 1977, just seven years after the first Earth Day was celebrated in the United States, when Denison established the Homestead, an off-the-grid, evolving experiment in socioenvironmentally responsible community life.
“We are honored with the Sierra Club’s recognition of our sustainability efforts,” said Jeremy King, Denison’s sustainability coordinator. “We’ve worked hard to fulfill our commitment to a comprehensive sustainability plan, which includes energy efficiencies, recycling, a revolving green fund, a climate commitment and more. The work is ongoing, but we are happy to celebrate milestones.”
The college has undertaken a number of wide-ranging initiatives that address the relationship between humans and their environment. All new construction on campus must be LEED certified, more than $2.6 million dollars have been invested in energy-efficiency projects and 41 percent of the food served on campus is locally and responsibly sourced.
Denison also has been recognized by the Ohio EPA and the Princeton Review for its commitment to sustainability, as well as the Sustainable Endowments Institute and the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability. The university holds a Sustainability Fellows program, hosts many student organizations that center around sustainability, offers a major in environmental studies and is home to a 360-acre biological reserve.
According to the Sierra Club website, their “rankings can serve as a guide for prospective students, current students, administrators, and alumni to compare colleges’ commitments to environmentalism. It also serves to spur healthy competition among schools, raise environmental standards on campus, and publicly reward the institutions that work hard to protect the planet.”