Homepage

SUNY ESF Tops Multiple Campus Sustainability Rankings SUNY ESF Tops Multiple Campus Sustainability Rankings

In a recent poll, SUNY ESF sat atop multiple campus sustainability rankings.

By Andrew Selover

RALPH SCOPO: ” Sustainability is just our lifeblood. Like everything somehow ties back to sustainability or
justice.”

ANDREW SELOVER: Just yesterday, SUNY ESF received recognition from the Sustainable Campus Index. ESF
ranked number one in the country for sustainability, curriculum, investment and finance. The
school also ranked top ten in four other categories. This success begins with a number of
initiatives around campus.

SUE FASSLER: “In terms of our sustainability programs, I think that we really lead in a lot of our zero waste
programs.”

RALPH SCOPO: “All the trash cans, they go trash, recycling, composting and if you don’t go into that,
someone will speak to you. It’s our culture, I guess you could call it.”

ANDREW SELOVER: Another important sustainable footprint surrounds the heat and energy produced on
campus.

SUE FASSLER: “In the lower level of our Gateway Center, we have the combined heat and power plant and
that is very unique in that it uses a biomass boiler system paired with natural gas
microturbines to generate heat and electricity for campus.”

ANDREW SELOVER: Here at SUNY ESF, it’s not just the campus that lives sustainably. It’s also in the classroom
where sustainability is preached.

RALPH SCOPO: “Even like our math classes, it’s kind of funny, because I didn’t take calculus .I took like,
calculus in the context of the environment.”

SUE FASSLER: “By the very essence of being ESF in our name, the College of Environmental Science and
Forestry, the incentive is already there for faculty and staff members to incorporate
sustainability into the curriculum, into all of their programs and the students. That’s why
they’re coming here and they demand it in many instances.”

ANDREW SELOVER: At the end of the day, ESF’s goal is to make possible a safe future on this planet, and right
now the school is doing so successfully. Andrew Selover, NCC News.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — When asking SUNY ESF student Ralph Scopo why sustainability was important on campus, he replied, “sustainability is just our lifeblood. Everything somehow ties back to sustainability or justice.”

These comments were well reflected yesterday when SUNY ESF received recognition from the Sustainable Campus Index. ESF ranked number one in the country for sustainability, curriculum, investment and finance. The school also ranked top ten in four other categories: public engagement, research, water conservation and reuse and doctoral granting. There are a number of initiatives around ESF campus that lead to this recognition.

In terms of sustainability programs, Sustainability Director Sue Fassler believes that the school leads the country in regards to a lot of zero waste programs. Scopo added that if you do not follow the trash, recycling and compost bins “someone will speak to you.” He attributed this to the culture around campus.

SUNY ESF also keeps a very sustainable footprint on campus when it comes to heating and energy. Fassler explained, “in the lower level of our Gateway Center, we have the combined heat and power plant, and that is very unique in that it uses a biomass boiler system paired with natural gas microturbines to generate heat and electricity for campus.” This plant along with wind turbines recently reinstated at remote ESF campus locations help promote sustainable energy.

The school also places heavy emphasis on sustainability taught in the classroom. Scopo pointed out that even math classes have an environmental slant. Fassler described, “by the very essence of being ESF in our name, the College of Environmental Science and Forestry, the incentive is already there for faculty and staff members to incorporate sustainability into the curriculum, into all of their programs and the students. That’s why they’re coming here and they demand it in many instances.”

Scopo pointed out that the goal of everyone on campus is “to build a future on this planet that is enjoyable for everyone.” Based on the recognition, SUNY ESF seems well on it’s way.

Related Articles