Top 10 Things You Should Know About Sustainable CWRU
Case Western Reserve University has been working hard to make the campus a greener place to live and work. Here are our top ten bragging points:
1. CWRU is aiming to be climate neutral, a big hairy audacious goal and we have a Climate Action Plan guiding our way.
2. The campus recycled over 494 tons of material in 2014—the equivalent of 66 elephants or 247 cars.
3. CWRU is one of the greenest 300 college and universities in the country according to the Princeton Review's Green Guide (PDF page 57)
4. There are currently 35 water bottle filling stations on campus—mostly paired with water fountains—and more are added each year.
5. There are over 130 bike racks on campus and the campus community can can request more by sending us an idea.
6. The 100 kW wind turbine outside of Veale and the 60 kW solar array on top of the Adelbert Gym building produce approximately the same amount of energy each year.
7. The university spends over $20 million each year on utilities that keep the lights on, heat and cool or buildings, run lab equipment, etc. Students and employees can truly can help reduce this spending and energy use by doing simple things like turning off lights and equipment when leaving the room.
8. In 2015, CWRU participated for the first time in Campus Conservation Nationals, a national residence hall energy contest that pitted the Southside, Northside and Northwest part of campus against each other. Southside won by a landslide.
9. By eating at the Bon Appetit dining halls and restaurants, our campus supports local farmers and food producers. In 2014, Bon Appetit spent nearly $2 million in the local food economy (within 150 miles)—which is good for the environment and good for local jobs.
10. The University Farm produces food that is eaten not only by our students and staff in the Bon Appetit dining halls, but also by animals at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. Watch a video of animals enjoying food from the farm