The score comes from a November 2020 comprehensive Zero Waste Atlas Assessment designed to help campuses assess and streamline campus systems for materials management.

“As we continue to progress as a great place to learn, to work and in which to invest, we strive to achieve the highest level of sustainability possible,” said UofL President Neeli Bendapudi. “The Post-Landfill Action Network designation, along with other recognitions UofL has received, affirms our success in meeting our goals as a green campus.”

For Scope 1, surplus property and hard-to-recycle materials, UofL scored 63.4% (451.75 out of a total possible 712 points). For Scope 2, food waste and single-use materials, UofL scored 53.9% (479.25 out of a total possible 888.5 points).

This assessment was conducted with the help of UofL’s Zero Waste interns and laid the groundwork for the development of UofL’s first Zero Waste Plan, which the UofL Sustainability Council will begin to work on in 2021.

The PLAN ranking follows two other designations earned by UofL for its sustainability efforts:

• At No. 97 with a score of 65.79 points, UofL ranks in the in the United States out of a pool of 312 colleges and universities surveyed. UofL also is the “Coolest in the Commonwealth” – four other Kentucky schools made the list below UofL: Berea College at 127 with 63.69 points, University of Kentucky at 234 with 49.17 points, Western Kentucky University at 251 with 48.12 points and Eastern Kentucky University at 283 with 40.06 points.
• UofL is included in the Princeton Review of Green Colleges’ 416 U.S. colleges and universities. The designation recognizes colleges and universities that exhibit a commitment to renewable energy, recycling and conservation programs, the availability of environmental studies in academic programs and career guidance for green jobs. More than 25 survey data points were analyzed by The Princeton Review editors to tally  scores for the schools on a scale of 60 to 99. Colleges that earned a Green Rating of 80 or higher made it into the guide. In the 2021 Guide, UofL received a nearly perfect Green Rating of 97.

“UofL is committed to integrating sustainability into everything we do – from how we manage our facilities, finances and people, to what we teach in the classroom and what we research in the lab,” said Justin Mog, assistant to the provost for sustainability initiatives. “Our vision is to create a university that is itself a living laboratory for sustainability and a campus community that leads by example and educates as much by what we do as by what we say.

“The recognition we have earned shows that we are achieving our goals.”

The Sierra Club this week released its of North American colleges and universities, recognizing gains related to teaching, studying and acting for a more livable world. At No. 84 on the list, UofL is the highest-ranked Kentucky institution.

“We all knew UofL was a cool school is so many ways, but this year’s list from Sierra Club confirms that we are the coolest in the Commonwealth,” said Justin Mog, assistant to the provost for sustainability initiatives. 

Rankings are based on the used by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher ����ֱ�� (AASHE) to gauge progress in environmental, social and economic stewardship. This year, UofL also had the highest STARS rating of any college or university in Kentucky.

 “This is the 10^th year we have cracked the top 100 on the Sierra Club’s list,” Mog said. “Our accomplishments in this area are a testament to the dedication of our administration, faculty, staff and students. They also remind us that we are part of a global movement to tackle the greatest crisis facing humanity by taking action on campus against global climate disruption right here in our classrooms, labs, offices and landscapes.”

The Sierra Club, the oldest grassroots environmental group in the United States, awards points to schools in areas such as energy, food, transportation, waste, academics and research. UofL earned high marks for campus and public engagement as well as curriculum.

Participation in the Sierra Club’s ranking is open to all four-year, degree-granting undergraduate colleges and universities in the United States and Canada, along with two-year community colleges. The club for 2019.

Want to help continue the momentum? Go online for information on all the different ways students, faculty and staff can help UofL achieve its sustainability goals. UofL’s annual Sustainability Week is Oct. 17-25, to celebrate, raise awareness and promote engagement issues of environmental, social and economic justice.

“I look forward to Sustainability Week every year because it’s such a great opportunity to celebrate and share all of the great, but little-known things that are happening to make UofL an even better steward of our environmental, social and economic resources,” said Justin Mog, assistant to the provost for sustainability initiatives.

Mog, who has been in his post since 2009, earlier this year was awarded the city’s , just one of several sustainability highlights from 2017 at UofL.

Others included being named a Tree Campus USA for the seventh year by the Arbor Day Foundation and garnering the highest ranking of any Kentucky college in the Sierra Club’s “Cool School” list at No. 51. Additionally, UofL issued a report, the , that showed the university is close to meeting its first benchmark in its goal of climate neutrality by 2050.

Sustainabilty Week begins Oct. 23 with “Mindful, Meatless Monday” events at various locales to show the links between sustainability and mindfulness practices. Try out Restorative Yoga (1 p.m.) or Yoga Flow (4 p.m.) at the Student Recreation Center. Drop by the Humanities Quad to catch a vegetarian cooking demonstration or learn about “mindful snacking” (2:30-4 p.m.).

Don’t forget that the UofL Free Store is open on Mondays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The store in the basement of Unitas Hall gives away donated items that would otherwise end up in a landfill.

On Tuesday, Oct. 24, get to The Ville Grill from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to try some of the featured locally-sourced or Kentucky Proud food items.

The  is Wednesday, Oct. 25, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., in the Humanities Quad, featuring booths and information about what UofL and community organizations are doing to advance sustainability.

Thursday, Oct. 26, is the last chance to visit the Market this season and pick up local produce and food items, baked goods, honey, jams and jellies (11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.). Swing by on your bike and get a few tips at a free bike maintenance station hosted by .

On Friday, Oct. 27, come talk about “Global Politics of Climate Change” at the UofL Sustainability Roundtable with speaker , UofL professor of political science. The roundtable is from 11 a.m. to noon in Urban Studies Room 123 (426 W. Bloom St.) In addition, students are encouraged to take advantage of discounted registration fees for the from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Kentucky Center for African American Heritage (1701 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd).

Tree planting in Jeffersonville, Indiana, takes place Sat., Oct. 28 (9 a.m., 240 Wall St.) and volunteers are needed. Volunteers are also needed Sun., Oct. 29 at UofL’s compost site in the 200 block of East Bloom Street (one block north of Cardinal Boulevard between Brook and Floyd streets).

More Sustainability Week details .

“I have been impressed with how far Louisville as a city has come in terms of sustainability and the University of Louisville has led the way,” said Ruhe, a longtime Jefferson County Public School special education teacher who is one of the first students enrolled in UofL’s new interdisciplinary master’s degree program with a sustainability concentration. “If it hadn’t been for the students and faculty pushing for change, none of this progress – and the recognition that has followed – would have been possible. To rank in the Top 50 is quite an accomplishment and reflects the commitment of all at UofL to become a leader in sustainability education for the 21st century.”

This marks the eighth consecutive year UofL has landed in the top 100.

Justin Mog, assistant to the provost for sustainability initiatives, said the scoring was based on UofL’s latest rating in the national . Earlier this year, UofL became the first college in Kentucky to achieve a gold STARS rating. STARS is the framework developed by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher ����ֱ�� to track progress in the social, economic and environmental aspects of sustainability. 

This year, UofL scored more than 622 points out of a total of 1,000 in the annual ranking published by The Sierra Club, the oldest grassroots environmental group in the United States. The list is compiled based on data about a school’s sustainability initiatives in co-curricular education, energy, investments, food, innovation, academics, planning, purchasing, transportation, waste and water.

“What’s so exciting about this is not just that we’re doing one thing right, but that we are addressing sustainability across the board,” Mog said.