2014 USD Fact Book

Sustainability At USD, sustainability is more than just a practice: it’s a way of life. Student-led initiatives provide sustainable solutions to the issues that define our times. Faculty members play an active role by incorporating sustainability both in and out of the classroom. Collaborative research projects and grants between faculty and students pay immediate dividends for the university community and society at large, including a $5 million grant by the National Science Foundation to educate community leaders about the impact of climate change. As an efficiency leader, USD works to foster an ethic of conservation and innovation. Since 2009, the university reduced its energy consumption by over 20 percent, reduced its water consumption by over 33 percent, and installed more than 5,000 photovoltaic panels. These panels generate 14 percent of the university’s peak energy needs, making USD one of the largest solar energy producers among all private colleges in the United States. The first of its kind on a college campus, the USD Electronic Waste Collection Center is a living example of the university’s commitment to social entrepreneurship. Since opening in April 2011, the center has diverted over 500,000 pounds of e-waste from landfills. Heralded as a safe, secure and sustainable means of waste diversion, the E-Waste Collection Center has become an important resource for USD and the entire San Diego community. These efforts earned USD the 2012 Outstanding Sustainable Organization of the Year by the California Center for Sustainable Energy. This award, along with the university’s Ashoka Changemaker, Fair Trade University and bike-friendly campus designations, help USD to bolster its reputation as one of the most sustainable campuses in the nation.

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