WASHINGTON — Its colors may be red, white and blue, but American University is getting nationwide recognition for being green.
That’s the word from the Sierra Club, which placed American University at No. 2 on its list of America’s
10 greenest colleges
.
The colleges were ranked based on such factors as availability of organic gardens, the presence of student groups focused on sustainability and the percentage of sustainable campus building space.
The Sierra Club called American “an all-around heavyweight” for such features as D.C.’s biggest combined solar array, a policy against idling cars, and a student- led Adopt-A-Tree program.
The school has taken steps to be even more sustainable in the future: By 2016, clubs won’t be able to buy bottled water and by 2020, AU will send no waste to landfills or incinerators.
American University came in behind University of California, Irvine.
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