Sustainability

UB is a sustainability leader in higher education. Our commitment spans 50 years—from the origins of the environmental movement at Love Canal, to the innovative operational measures we take that continue to save the university millions of dollars each year, while reducing UB’s environmental footprint on the future.

As an early signatory of the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment, UB is committed to becoming climate neutral by 2030.

To achieve this goal, UB launched its 10 in 10 strategy which is a roadmap of innovative, engaging and digestible strategies the university is taking to increase climate action throughout the university, putting UB on a path to achieve net zero emissions.  These 10 initiatives represent a synthesis of ideas expressed by a diverse array of stakeholders through a robust two-year campus engagement process, which included students, faculty, staff and the community.  They also form a framework for UB’s implementation efforts, with each of the 10 categories corresponding to a working group that will advance action within the area.

The University also leverages the Sustainable Development Goals as a lens for the purpose of all of the work and research we conduct. These 17 goals connect the triple bottom line view (people, planet and prosperity) of sustainability concretely. 

UB’s sustainability efforts include: 

• Quantifying the greenhouse gas impact of our university for twenty years, developing a cutting edge Climate Action Plan through a robust campus engagement process and reducing our emissions by 33%.
• Advancing innovative and impactful research initiatives across the campus including the RENEW center (Research and Education in eNergy, Environment and Water)—an ambitious, university-wide, interdisciplinary research institute that focuses on the most difficult and complex environmental issues, as well as the social and economic issues with which they are intertwined.
• Leading the charge in integrating onsite renewable energy generation on campus with five major ground mount arrays including the artistically infused, publicly accessible Solar Strand which is adjacent to the new GRoW Clean Energy Center
• Operating a total of eleven LEED-certified buildings.
• Providing critical anchoring and community leadership with the Western New York Sustainable Business Roundtable, One Region Forward and the New York Coalition for Sustainability in Higher Education
• Operating a user-friendly sustainability portal that provides the campus community with a one-stop location to learn about and get involved in the university’s sustainability efforts.
• Creating an innovative student leadership program through the Change Agents Scholars Initiative, which trains diverse student leaders each year through the Education and Leadership Fellows program to become champions for change at UB and in our region and world.
• Reducing the amount of waste going to landfills through programs like the Food Recovery Network, Hired Professional Clothing Boutique and UB ReUSE
• Providing opportunities for students to develop sustainable projects through social entrepreneurship competitions like Erie Hack, World’s Challenge Challenge and the 10 in 10 Design Challenge.

Our focus on developing sustainability literate individuals brings together our faculty and students to learn about local and global challenges. From the northern reaches of the Arctic and the coral reefs of the Caribbean, to the shores of Cattaraugus Creek and Lake Erie, the university is working to create a better tomorrow through sustainability.

Recognized as a national leader among public research universities, UB has received numerous awards for its wide-ranging endeavors to reduce its environmental impact.

• UB is a global leader in higher education when it comes to climate action. According to the 2021 Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, UB was ranked No. 1 in addressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) pertaining to climate action. UB is ranked No. 2 out of 560 institutions globally and No. 1 in the U.S. in SDG 7, which captures institutional commitment to affordable and clean energy.
• Due to UB's continued commitment to sustainability, the university has been recognized by AASHE, Advancement for Sustainability in Higher Education as a STARS gold university. As a result, the university is now placed in the top 1.6 percent of colleges and universities in North America. Only 86 other institutions have achieved the level of gold. (June 2022)
• UB was named to The Princeton Review’s 2022 Green College Honor Roll for earning the highest possible score in the publication’s Green Rating. The Princeton Review tallied Green Rating scores for 835 colleges for the 2022 ratings. The Green Rating, which is scored from 60 to a maximum of 99, provides a comprehensive measure of a school's performance as an environmentally aware and prepared institution.
• UB won an Environmental Excellence Award from the NY DEC because of reducing our carbon footprint by 33% each of the last three years by transitioning to renewable energy sources through a host of initiatives and leveraging innovative power purchase agreements to assist with its goal of achieving 100% renewable energy.
• For the second straight year, UB tops the Mid-American Conference (MAC) in green power usage, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 2018-19 College and University Green Power Challenge. Of the 36 conference winners this year, UB ranks No. 2 in green power usage. The university uses more than 224 million kilowatt hours of green power — equivalent to the electricity consumption of more than 21,000 average American homes annually — which represents 100 percent of the university’s annual electricity use. (April 2019)
• UB is No. 10 on the Environment America list, which was compiled by gathering data from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) and ranking 180 qualifying colleges using their Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) scores from the past three years. To account for differences in school size, Environment America divided the amount of renewable energy each school produced or purchased by the number of full-time equivalent students. (April 2019)
• UB came in at No. 22 on College Consensus’ 25 Best Green Colleges list. The Best Green Colleges highlights the nation’s leading institutions in sustainability. UB was recognized for its ability to generate its own green power thanks to the Solar Strand, SteelWinds and other efforts, as well as its leadership of Localizing Buffalo's Renewable Energy Future. The initiative aims to develop up to 100 megawatts of renewable energy within the next four years. (October 2018)
• UB beat its conference rivals by using more than 219 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power, representing 100 percent of the school’s annual electricity use. That’s equivalent to the electricity use of nearly 21,000 average American homes annually. Of the 38 Conference Champion Award recipients, UB had the second-highest kilowatt-hours usage, trailing only the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s 250 million kWh. (April 2018)
• UB ranked No. 1 on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partnership list of the largest college and university green power users. UB is using nearly 213 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power annually, which represents 100 percent of its total power needs. (Spring 2016)
• In 2016, UB was once again certified “gold” as part of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s (AASHE) Sustainability, Tracking, Assessment & Rating System. The “gold” rating places UB among the top 1.2 percent of colleges and universities in North America. Of the more than 5,000 higher education institutions, only 62 have achieved the level of gold. 
• UB was highlighted in the 2016 Sustainable Campus Index in the Public Engagement section for its efforts in advancing sustainability in higher education. UB was mentioned specifically for the partnership it created with Erie County and area business leaders to form the Western New York Sustainable Business Roundtable, a group of nearly 50 businesses that works to advance green practices among businesses in the region. 
• UB is among the 50 most environmentally responsible colleges in the nation, according to The Princeton Review. The university ranked 33rd in the list of the Top 50 Green Colleges, a new ranking included in The Princeton Review’s 2016  Guide to 361 Green Colleges. 
• UB received a 2016 Green Power Leadership Award from the EPA. UB was one of only three organizations nationwide to be chosen as a Green Power Partner of the Year. With this award, EPA recognizes Green Power Partners who distinguish themselves through their leadership, overall strategy and impact on the green power market.
• UB ranked 57th in the Sierra Club’s 2016 list of 200 “Cool Schools.” The rankings are based on sustainability ratings.
• The EPA has recognized UB’s commitment to solving pressing environmental issues, educating students about these challenges and operating eco-friendly campuses. The agency presented UB two honors in 2015, including the only Environmental Champion Award given to an institute of higher learning in New York in 2015.  
• The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) named UB one of 16 “Leaders” among Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) Campus Challenge First Movers. The REV Campus Challenge is part of a strategy to build a clean, resilient and affordable energy system for all New Yorkers.