UM Picked in Top 15 Colleges and Universities

The University of Maryland has been named one of the Top 15 Green Colleges and Universities by Grist, an online environmental magazine based in Seattle.

The only state flagship university on the list that also includes schools in other countries, Maryland was lauded for student willingness to raise fees to pay for clean energy and other energy conserving measures.

Said Grist, "Students at this College Park campus recently sent a loud-and-clear message about sustainability : some 91 percent of undergrads voted to raise student fees in order to pay for clean energy, when tuition and fees are already at record highs. If implemented, the fee increase would eventually raise enough money to make UM the largest higher-ed purchaser of renewable energy in the U.S. UM -- one of the many schools committed to going carbon neutral -- is also doing what it can to reduce energy use : a combined heat-and-power plant completed in 2003 received the U.S. EPA's Energy Star award, and motion sensors that automatically shut down unused office equipment are currently undergoing testing."

In choosing the top 15, Grist senior editor Lisa Hymas said "We researched, asked experts, and consulted other rankings to get a broad picture of green activities on campuses."

See the entire list of winners and runners up at the Grist Web site, http://grist.org/news/maindish/2007/08/10/colleges/ . Check out these sites for more information on some of the University of Maryland 's top sustainability successes:

http:/www.newsdesk.umd.edu/uniini/greencampus.cfm

http://www.sustainability.umd.edu/index.php?p=sustain_snapshot