Campus Greening: Duke University, Durham, North Carolina

Duke’s efforts have spanned many different areas, but perhaps the most significant is also the most basic: Duke is an eco-friendly shopper! Appliances purchased for use at the university, including heating and cooling systems, are among the best in the market for energy efficiency, and Duke consciously seeks out Energy Star-rated equipment whenever possible. If this equipment is unavailable, the university makes an effort to purchase products in the upper 25-percent efficiency bracket. Not only do these preferences pay off environmentally, they also typically last longer, saving the university money.

In 2003, a campus organization called the Environmental Alliance was able to obtain a $28,000 grant from the Triangle Clean Cities Coalition to fund a program to fuel campus buses with a 20-percent biodiesel blend. Known as “B20,” the fuel produces significantly less emissions than regular diesel. The program continues today, with all Duke buses and maintenance vehicles now fueled with biodiesel.

These mindful efforts were formally rewarded in 2006, when Duke was named among the top 10 “Higher Education Sustainability Stars” in the June issue of University Business. The California State University system, Carnegie Mellon, Harvard, Tufts, University of British Columbia, University of California, Merced, University of Vermont, Penn, and Yale rounded out the rest of the top 10. Judging by its wise purchasing policies, active student body, and supportive administration, Duke is certainly putting itself in line for many more honors of the sort in years to come.

—Mark Friese