Sustainability

UB reduced its carbon footprint by 33 percent each of the last three years by transitioning to renewable energy sources. UB accomplished this significant feat through a host of initiatives including direct purchasing of clean energy through a 4.5-megawatt solar array on the former Bethlehem Steel site, on-campus solar generation, offsite purchases and most recently leveraging innovative power purchase agreements to assist with its goal of achieving 100 percent renewable energy. This work has been fueled through several New York State incentive programs including the REV Campus Challenge's Energy to Lead initiative.

An article in The Wall Street Journal listing "The Best Architecture of 2014" includes UB’s Solar Strand, calling the 3,200-panel, ground-mounted photovoltaic array a “small but telling model of landscape architecture at its most forward-thinking.”

UB's commitment to solving pressing environmental issues, educating students about these challenges and operating eco-friendly campuses has been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with the Environmental Champion Award. The EPA also named UB the Mid-American Conference (MAC) champion for renewable energy usage. 

UB developed a world-class climate action plan with one-, three- and five-year goals for six committees that span the university’s sustainability spectrum.

UB has been highlighted in the 2016 Sustainable Campus Index in the Public Engagement section (AASHE) for its efforts in advancing sustainability in higher education. UB was mentioned specifically for the partnership it created with Erie County and area business leaders to form the Western New York Sustainable Business Roundtable, a group of nearly 50 businesses that works to advance green practices among businesses in the region. 

UB is among the 50 most environmentally responsible colleges in the nation, according to The Princeton Review. The Princeton Review’s Guide to 361 Green Colleges profiles colleges with the highest commitment to sustainability based on their academic offerings and career preparation for students, campus policies, initiatives and activities.

UB came in at No. 22 on College Consensus’ 25 Best Green Colleges list.The Best Green Colleges highlights the nation’s leading institutions in sustainability. UB was recognized for its ability to generate its own green power thanks to the Solar Strand, SteelWinds and other efforts, as well as its leadership of Localizing Buffalo’s Renewable Energy Future. 

UB ranks first on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partnership list of the largest college and university green power users. UB fulfills 100% of its energy needs, an annual 213 million kilowatt hours (kWh), with zero-emission, clean energy.

UB moved up five spots on Sierra Club magazine’s “Cool Schools” ranking for 2017. The university landed at No. 52, up from 57 last fall, on the environmental group’s annual list of schools that are ahead of the curve when it comes to sustainability.

Due to UB's continued committment to sustainability, the university has been recognized by AASHE, Advancement for Sustainability in Higher Education as a STARS gold university. As a result, the university is now placed in the top 1.6 percent of colleges and universities in North America.

In May 2016, UB won $1 million as part of Governor Cuomo's Energy to Lead competition. This money will help to bring 100 megawatts of new, locally produced solar energy to Buffalo within the next four years and will provide new experiential learning opportunities for students.

UB was named among the 50 most “green” universities in the United States by Online Schools Center, a website that features higher education news. The website ranked UB 34th and highlighted numerous environmentally friendly initiatives at the university, among them the Sustainability Academy, the Solar Strand and waste-reduction programs.

We have made a commitment to sustainable buildings. Greiner Hall debuted in August 2011 and represented the first LEED gold designed student residence hall in the State University of New York System and also was designed with the practice of Universal Design in mind.

UB is No. 10 on the Environment America list, which was compiled by gathering data from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) and ranking 180 qualifying colleges using their Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) scores from the past three years.

UB has been named to The Princeton Review’s 2022 Green College Honor Roll for earning the highest possible score in the publication’s Green Rating. UB is one of only 27 colleges and universities nationally that made the list. The Princeton Review tallied Green Rating scores for 835 colleges for the 2022 ratings. The Green Rating, which is scored from 6o to a maximum of 99, provides a comprehensive measure of a school's performance as an environmentally aware and prepared institution.

UB is the global leader in higher education when it comes to climate action. That’s according to the 2021 Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, which rate UB No. 1 in the world in addressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) pertaining to climate action. In addition, UB is ranked No. 2 out of 560 institutions globally and No. 1 in the U.S. in SDG 7, which captures institutional commitment to affordable and clean energy.

The U.S. Green Building Council Center for Green Schools named UB one of the 2014 “Best of Green Schools” recipients. The awards recognize 10 individuals, institutions, projects and events representing national leaders and innovators in school sustainability. 

UB received a 2016 Green Power Leadership Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). UB was one of only three organizations nationwide to be chosen as a Green Power Partner of the Year. With this award, EPA recognizes Green Power Partners who distinguish themselves through their leadership, overall strategy and impact on the green power market.

UB beat its conference rivals by using more than 219 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power, representing 100 percent of the school’s annual electricity use. That’s equivalent to the electricity use of nearly 21,000 average American homes annually. UB had the second-highest kilowatt-hours usage.

The University at Buffalo is ranked No. 3 in climate action among 250 institutions worldwide, according to the first-ever Times Higher Education (THE) University Impact Rankings. The rankings recognize universities across the world for their social and economic impact, based on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. 

For the second straight year, UB tops the Mid-American Conference (MAC) in green power usage, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 2018-19 College and University Green Power Challenge. Of the 36 conference winners this year, UB ranks No. 2 in green power usage. 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has named UB one of its Top 10 College and University Green Power Partners.

UB was ranked 52 out of 227 "cool schools" of 2017 by the Sierra Club. The Sierra Club's rankings are based on sustainability (AASHE) ratings.