November 24, 2010
Earning further recognition for its dedication to improving the
environment through sustainability, St. John’s University has
placed fourth in a field of 40 colleges and universities
participating in the first real-time, nationwide electricity and
water-use reduction competition.
Held from November 1 – 19, the Campus Conservation
Nationals 2010 engaged colleges and universities in an effort
to slash energy and water use at their campuses. St. John’s was a
top “campus reducer” with a 12.2% overall reduction in energy. The
other top “reducers” were DePauw University, which cut energy
consumption by 25.8%; the University of British Columbia, 16.3%;
and Radford University, 15.5%.
In
addition, St. John’s placed first among colleges and universities
in a New York regional energy-saving competition. Participants
included New York University, Columbia University and Hamilton
College.
The contest was sponsored by the Lucid Design Group and
the
U.S. Green Building Council. Lucid created “Building Dashboard”
®, a Web-based, real-time electricity monitoring tool colleges used
to compete. St. John’s and other universities use “Dashboard” to
raise student awareness through regular energy-saving contests on
campus.
A Catholic and Vincentian university, St. John’s is widely
recognized for its sustainability initiatives. In July, St. John’s
won a
$1 million federal grant for energy conservation through the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. In June, a
student video on campus sustainability won first place in the New
York State Association for Reduction, Reuse & Recycling3
(NYSAR3) / MillionTreesNYC”; the New York
State Department of
Transportation’s Clean Air Campus Program; and the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency’s Voluntary Partnership Program.
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