From Guest Blogger Tristan Anwyn: Which College Campuses Are Really Into Green?

Gone are the days when people would think you were a hippie for doing your recycling.

Nowadays more and more people are switching on to the importance of reducing waste and living more sustainably. Academic institutions are embracing the green movement, with many campuses recycling and encouraging a reduction in waste.

These four college go above and beyond the basics with their amazing green credentials.

1. Delicious Green Dining At UC Santa Cruz

The University of California in Santa Cruz takes green dining seriously. So seriously in fact that the campus is home to its own organic farm and garden, where volunteers from the student body and faculty grow 25% of the campus’ food.

The farm and garden are used for research into sustainable food agriculture too, when they’re not providing delicious organic food for campus meals. The campus buys the majority of its other food locally, composts 50 tons of food per month, and supports fair trade coffee schemes.

If that wasn’t enough, students living on campus will find meatless Mondays and beef less Thursdays on the menu, alongside a wide range of tofu, meat substitutes and other vegetarian and vegan dishes.

2. One Man’s Trash Is Another Man’s Electricity At The University of New Hampshire

Many colleges are starting to switch on to renewable power and investigate alternative sources, but the University of New Hampshire has gone one better. Eighty-five percent (yes you read that right) of the campus’ power comes from rubbish!

The $45 million project is the first of its kind in the country and sees waste from the local landfill transformed into carbon neutral landfill gas, which is then pumped back to the campus.

Waste is taken seriously at the UNH with students encouraged to waste as little as they can – and what waste there is, goes to the landfill and comes back as heat and light! Plus, all the cafeteria food is sourced locally, reducing their carbon footprint even further.

3. Getting Around Is Green At The University Of Washington

Students at the University of Washington can get around campus while increasing their green credentials.

The campus is the first in the U.S. to offer electric bikes in a bike sharing program, giving riders an extra boost of power to tackle those hills. With 120 bikes available, students simply swipe their ID card at one of the bike stations and ride off into the sunset, returning the bike to any other station when they’re done.

Not to mention the campus is currently working on designing a green hybrid fuel bus, to be unveiled later in 2013. The campus also buys all of its electricity from renewable sources, and recycles an impressive 44% of all waste generated.

4. Conscious Energy Consumption At Oberlin College

At Oberlin College, OH, students can audit their dorm’s energy use and even compete against each other to reduce their dorm’s carbon footprint.

Their live dashboard provides up to the minute updates on energy use and consumption in all halls of residence and many academic buildings around campus. Competitions between dorms have led to a staggering 56% decrease in electricity usage by the top residence halls. The campus purchases 50% of its electricity from green sources and is aiming towards growing that figure to 100%.

These four schools show what leaps and bounds have been made in sustainable and renewable living, and other campuses can draw inspiration from them.

The key to a great green program is to get everyone involved, whether that’s growing vegetables, collecting waste to generate gas, or hopping on a green bike.

Working together for a better future makes green living fun and engaging for students and faculty alike.

About the Author: Tristan Anwyn is an author who writes on subjects as diverse as health, the environment, billfloat, and business.