At Arizona State University, the term “sun-baked” isn’t just a statement of fact, it’s an opportunity to harness the sun’s rays to power the campus. With more than 300 sunny days a year, ASU capitalizes on Phoenix’s exemplary weather with more than 24 megawatts of photovoltaic power in eighty-one installations on campus rooftops, parking structures, and over walkways. This goes a long way to produce energy for the campus, but that’s not enough for ASU—the university is in pursuit of complete climate neutrality. In 2011, ASU became a member of the Founding Circle of the “Billion Dollar Green Challenge,” demonstrating once again that it is not just participating in the sustainability movement, it is a leader. The school has invested over $4 million in energy conservation projects (a half dozen of which were student-proposed projects) that pay for themselves with utility savings. Thirty-five buildings on ASU's four campuses are LEED Silver, Gold, and even Platinum. As if all that weren’t enough, ASU has implemented Campus Harvest, a program through which oranges, lemons, grapefruit, kumquat, pecan, dates, and herbs are harvested from campus landscapes. ASU also subsidizes the U-Pass, which offers unlimited rides on area buses and light rail. And for those wary of public transport, ASU also sponsors a bicycle co-op. Interested students get maintenance and repair to their bicycles and purchase parts and accessories at a discount. All of the meals that students eat in four of ASU’s dining halls are Zero Waste meals, and the school diverts over 30 tons of food scraps from landfill to compost operations each month.
School Has Formal Sustainability Committee
Sustainability-focused degree available
School employs a sustainability officer
Public GHG inventory plan
% food budget spent on local/organic food
Available Transportation Alternatives
Carpool/Vanpool Matching Program
Condensed Work Week Option For Employees
Free Or Reduced Price Transit Passes And/Or Free Campus Shuttle
Incentives Or Programs To Encourage Employees To Live Close To Campus
Indoor And Secure Bike Storage, Shower Facilities, And Lockers For Bicycle Commuters
Reduced Parking Fees For Car And Van Poolers
School Adopted A Policy Prohibiting Idling
School Developed Bicycle Plan
School Offers A Telecommute Program For Employees
Data provided by Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), STARS®, as of March, 2019.
