Georgia Tech named 8th greenest campus

Those smart kids are eating healthy, too
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All those smarties at Georgia Tech are keeping the earth green and maybe themselves healthier in the process. The university was number eight on Sierra Magazine’s “Cool Schools” list of America’s greenest campuses.

The rankings of 162 colleges and universities were based on sustainability issues including energy supply, efficiency, food, academics, purchasing, transportation, waste management, administration, and financial investments.

Each school had to submit reams of information showing its strength in each category. Here’s a peek, just on the food front. According to GT’s 268-page report, there’s a Sustainable Dining Committee that works to keep on-campus dining local and sustainable. More than 40 percent of dining services food is local and/or organic. All three dining halls participate in food composting, and all disposable items (napkins, containers) are made of compostable materials. The newest campus dining hall is a green facility and includes a green roof.

The top ranking school—The University of Connecticut—scored 850.14, and Georgia Tech scored an 759.76 out of a possible 1,000.

Sierra Magazine calls out GT for its range of eco-transit options including natural gas–powered buses and its aggressive recycling program, its 25 percent tree cover, and the fact that campus water usage hasn’t increased since 2001, even though the school’s interior square footage has doubled.

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