UC Merced commended for commitment to campus sustainability efforts in 2022 report

UC Merced was recently lauded for its commitment to sustainability in the 2022 Sustainable Campus Index, a university news release announced.

The campus placed top 10 in several categories, including a tie for the number one spot in research.

The annual sustainability report is published by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). It recognizes top-performing colleges and universities overall and in 17 sustainability impact areas.

The report measures green efforts of over 570 institutions in 20 countries by using a framework that helps institutions track, report and strengthen their contributions to global sustainability.

It is the most widely-recognized report card in the world for documenting long-term sustainability goals for high-achieving institutions, according to the release.

UC Merced tied for first place in the research category, which takes into account the breadth of faculty and department sustainability research as well as initiatives for open access research. The category awards top performers that help the world to understand sustainability challenges and develop new technologies, strategies and approaches to address those challenges.

UC Merced also received high marks in several other areas, including:

Seventh Place – “Waste” recognizes waste minimization and reduction construction, waste diversion and hazardous waste management.

Ninth Place (tie) – “Investment and Finance” covers sustainable investment, committees for responsible investing and investment disclosure.

Ninth Place – “Air and Climate” takes into consideration steps taken to reduce air pollutant emissions in an effort to positively impact the health of their local communities and regions.

Tenth Place – “Energy” recognizes energy reduction and development and use of clean and renewable energy sources.

In addition to the above, UC Merced was ranked ninth overall among all doctoral institutions.

To learn more about sustainability at UC Merced, visit sustainability.ucmerced.edu/.