Sustainability

UB reduced its carbon footprint by 33% each of the last three years by transitioning to renewable energy sources through a host of initiatives and leveraging innovative power purchase agreements to assist with its goal of achieving 100% renewable energy. 

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.

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

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 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.

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.

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

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

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.

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. 

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. 

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.

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 addressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) pertaining to climate action. 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.

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 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 was named to The Princeton Review’s 2022 Green College Honor Roll for earning the highest possible score in the publication’s Green Rating. 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'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 came in at No. 22 on College Consensus’ 25 Best Green Colleges list, which 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 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.

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.