News arrived this spring that UofL was ranked highest in Kentucky in a key sustainability measure, the international Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS).

“UofL’s unwavering commitment to the health of our planet is another reason to be proud of this institution, but this is not the time to remain idle,” said Neeli Bendapudi, UofL president. “We will and we must continue this hard work to ensure a bright future. I am so proud of our faculty, staff and students who are devoted to this issue for the university and in their daily lives.”

STARS, part of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher ����ֱ�� (AASHE), relies on institutions to report the steps they are taking regarding environmental, social and economic stewardship. Schools’ ratings are valid for three years, and the total points they earn result in awards that range from platinum (highest) to bronze.

UofL scored for 2019, a 1% increase since UofL’s last STARS rating in 2016 and the highest rating for any college or university in Kentucky. The score also notched UofL’s second consecutive gold award. UofL ranks fourth among ACC schools with a STARS rating.

“This is the fourth STARS report we have submitted since 2011 and we continue to increase our score each time,” said Justin Mog, assistant to the provost for sustainability initiatives. “Our new score puts UofL in the top 100 most sustainable schools on the planet. We can attribute this progress to the ongoing commitment of our university’s administration, faculty, staff and students to this increasingly important issue.”

Among the efforts that helped push UofL to the top were the new, the and our annual maple-tapping project on campus.

Recycling still a priority

With a gold STARS rating on our side, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that recycling remains a priority at UofL.

Our participation in the North American RecycleMania competition in February and March resulted in a No. 1 ranking in Kentucky in two categories: diversion and per capita. We recycled 57.6% of our trash overall for the eight-week period, or 16.8 pounds per person.

Additionally, the Sustainability Council recently issued UofL’s , showing UofL last year recycled or composted more than 6.5 million pounds of waste, or slightly more than half our total waste.

UofL’s , begun in 2010 and run by philosophy lecturer Brian Barnes, will expand this fall with the addition of a student intern to manage worm composting operations. 

Among other activities (see below), a Campus Sustainability Day Fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 19 in the Humanities Quad on Belknap Campus. Students, staff and faculty will be able to get helpful information on transportation options and bicycle maintenance (bring your bike for a tune-up), and free shredding/recycling of documents, tapes and computer discs will be available.

One item sure to be of interest is the new, free Cardinal Directions trip-finding platform, which shows all of the university’s transportation options on one map. It is a one-stop-shop for UofL staff, faculty and students who want to find ways to save money, time, pollution and hassle by cutting back on driving to campus. It is also open to the public.

School of Dentistry Senior John Troehler signed up to use Cardinal Directions to see how well it catered to bicycle commuters.

“Reducing the use of combustion-based transport has been a defining facet of my life,” Troehler said. “I purposely live in a location where I can travel to all aspects of my normal life either by foot or by bicycle and was part of the first generation of students to receive a bicycle voucher. I have been commuting with that bicycle ever since.”

UofL’s nationally recognized, award-winning bicycle voucher program, “,” allows students, faculty and staff willing to give up the right to a parking permit for two years a chance to earn a $400 voucher to an area bike shop. Since 2012, UofL has given out 1,550 vouchers.

To get started with Cardinal Directions, visit , and type in your starting point and destination. All options will be displayed and users can easily compare the relative travel time, mileage, carbon emissions and calories burned by each option.

The map also shows locations of vehicles available to the public through the and provides links for transportation options between cities, such as Amtrak or Megabus.

Through the program, which has been operating on the Belknap Campus since 2012, those who have purchased an annual membership can use a new, fuel-efficient vehicle for hourly, overnight and daily rentals. Earlier this year, the program expanded to the Health Sciences Center to serve the downtown area. The car-sharing program is offering a promotion through Dec. 31 in which new UofL members can join for $1 and drive for just $5 per hour.

Sustainability Week runs through Oct. 23. On the evening of Oct. 19, UofL will host the Louisville Sustainability Council’s monthly “” networking event for professionals interested in sustainability. The event will start at 6 p.m. with a campus sustainability tour leaving from in front of the University Club and end at Old Louisville Tavern, 1532 S. 4^th St.

The week’s activities include (For a full schedule, .):  

• Oct. 20 (Belknap Campus, Humanities Quad) – Bike maintenance workshop
• Oct. 21, noon – Ekstrom Library, W210.
• Oct. 21, 2-3 p.m. – (Cultural Center)
• Oct. 23 –UofL Volunteer Day, 200 block of E. Bloom St. (one block north of Cardinal Boulevard between Brook and Floyd streets)

UofL has a goal of reducing our net greenhouse gas emissions and achieving climate neutrality by 2050. For more information, contact Justin Mog, assistant to the provost for sustainability initiatives, at 852-8575.