The Student News Site of Appalachian State University

The Appalachian

The Student News Site of Appalachian State University

The Appalachian

The Student News Site of Appalachian State University

The Appalachian

Newsletter Signup

Get our news delivered straight to your inbox every week.

* indicates required

Appalachian State on ‘Cool Schools’ List for sustainability

Appalachian+State+on+Cool+Schools+List+for+sustainability

Sierra Magazine recently released its rankings of the greenest schools in America,  “Cool Schools,” and Appalachian State University was included on the list of 153 total universities.

Appalachian State was ranked 23, and earned 719.16 out of a possible 1,000 points.

The Sierra Magazine, which is published by the Sierra Club, bases its scores off of data compiled by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. Using the data borrowed from the AASHE, it then implements its own grading scale.

The ranking for the list looks at a number of categoies, and assigns points to each one. The categories include co-curricular activities, food, innovation, academics and research, and transit.

The report praised Appalachian for its number of co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives.

“Engaging in sustainability issues through co-curricular activities allows students to deepen and apply their understandings of sustainability principles,” the report said.

Some of the co-curricular programs and initiatives the report cites are the Appalachian State University Renewable Energy Initiative (ASUREI), Appalachian Recycles, and the emphasis put on sustainability during freshman orientation.

“Appalachian has extensive outreach and service opportunities off campus,” said Lee Ball, the director of university sustainability. “A lot of people are doing things above and beyond the classroom.”

Food was another area where Appalachian State ranked highly. The report cited the school’s preference for local food and the student-run gardens outside of the Living Learning Community.

“The local food movement here in the High Country is really large,” Ball said. “They are working together with the university to provide as much local food as possible in the dining hall.”

Ball added that Appalachian State’s food services are trying to remove styrofoam from the dining halls.

Appalachian’s transit was praised for the fact that the Appalcart was free to all locals, greatly reducing Boone’s carbon footprint.

Ball said he believes one of Appalachian’s greatest strengths is the dedication that the professors have for creating a greener environment.

“Our faculty have been striving to make things more sustainable since before sustainability was even a word that was being used,” Ball said. “We’ve been doing this for decades.”

Ball stressed that every school should have a focus on being green.

“I think that sustainability is our time’s greatest cause,” Ball said. “With climate change, species extinction, the loss of biodiversity, the marginalization of oppressed people, and all those other things, this is the one issue that is truly all encompassing.”

Story by: Tommy Culkin, Senior News Reporter

Donate to The Appalachian
$1201
$5000
Contributed
Our Goal

We hope you appreciate this article! Before you move on, our student staff wanted to ask if you would consider supporting The Appalachian's award-winning journalism. We are celebrating our 90th anniversary of The Appalachian in 2024!

We receive funding from the university, which helps us to compensate our students for the work they do for The Appalachian. However, the bulk of our operational expenses — from printing and website hosting to training and entering our work into competitions — is dependent upon advertising revenue and donations. We cannot exist without the financial and educational support of our fellow departments on campus, our local and regional businesses, and donations of money and time from alumni, parents, subscribers and friends.

Our journalism is produced to serve the public interest, both on campus and within the community. From anywhere in the world, readers can access our paywall-free journalism, through our website, through our email newsletter, and through our social media channels. Our supporters help to keep us editorially independent, user-friendly, and accessible to everyone.

If you can, please consider supporting us with a financial gift from $10. We appreciate your consideration and support of student journalism at Appalachian State University. If you prefer to make a tax-deductible donation, or if you would prefer to make a recurring monthly gift, please give to The Appalachian Student News Fund through the university here: https://securelb.imodules.com/s/1727/cg20/form.aspx?sid=1727&gid=2&pgid=392&cid=1011&dids=418.15&bledit=1&sort=1.

Donate to The Appalachian
$1201
$5000
Contributed
Our Goal