UCI ranks high on green campus list

UC Irvine received the No. 3 spot in a ranking of the “greenest” universities compiled annually by the Sierra Club’s magazine.

The Sierra Club dubbed the list the nation’s Coolest Schools, recognizing campuses trying to solve climate problems and maintain sustainability, according to a news release from the club.

The University of Connecticut in Storrs and Dickinson College in Carlisle, Penn., came in first and second, respectively.

“We are extremely pleased to be recognized by the Sierra Club for having a positive impact on our planet’s future,” UCI Chancellor Michael Drake said in a prepared statement. “I’m excited that at a time when sustainability is becoming ever more important, we earned our highest ranking ever.”

This is the fourth consecutive year UCI has made the top-10 list.

UCI credited a widespread embrace of sustainability on campus.

For instance, UCI offers a minor in global sustainability and has been running an energy management program to reduce carbon emissions for 25 years, according to a news release from the university.

Three other California schools, UC Davis, Stanford and UC Santa Barbara made the list.

The full ranking is available at sierraclub.org/coolschools.

— Jeremiah Dobruck

Twitter: @jeremiahdobruck