Western Washington University is 12th on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s list of the nation’s top 20 green-energy purchasers in higher education.

Western annually purchases all of its electrical energy from green sources via renewable energy credits. Western was the only college or university in Washington on the recently released list.

The genesis for Western’s renewable energy program began more than five years ago when a small group of students set a goal of having Western obtain all of its electrical energy from a renewable source. To meet the goal, they proposed a student initiative to implement a fee to offset the cost of buying renewable energy.
 
As a result of their efforts and significant research into renewable energy, Western moved to the forefront of the renewable energy field, becoming the first university in the country to implement a student fee for the purchase of green energy.

The student initiative passed in a spring 2004 election with nearly 85 percent approval. Western trustees approved the student fee, which went into effect in 2005.

In spring 2010, the WWU student body voted overwhelmingly – more than 80 percent in favor – to renew the fee.

In addition to funding the purchase of the renewable energy credits — all of WWU’s power now comes from the Endeavor Wind Farm in Iowa — the new fee also finances student projects devoted to increasing energy efficiency, decreasing energy consumption, generating renewable energy, and reducing greenhouse-gas output on WWU’s campus, as well as allowing for the creation of a student position within WWU’s Associated Students to oversee the programs.

The Green Power Partnership is a voluntary EPA program that seeks to increase the use of green power among leading U.S. organizations. The green power purchases help reduce the environmental impacts of electricity use and support the development of renewable generation capacity nationwide.

Purchase amounts reflect U.S. operations only and are sourced from U.S.-based green power resources. Organizations can meet EPA purchase requirements using any combination of three options: renewable energy certificates, on-site generation, and utility green-power products.

Green power is defined as electricity products that are partially or entirely generated from environmentally preferable resources, such as solar, wind, geothermal, biogas and low-impact biomass and hydro resources. For more information, see EPA’s website on the Top 20 College and University Partners list.

TOP PUBLIC MASTER'S-GRANTING SCHOOL IN PACIFIC NORTHWEST

WWU is the highest-ranking public, master’s-granting university in the Pacific Northwest, according to the 2011 U.S. News & World Report college rankings.

“While we are pleased to be recognized by this and other national rankings, the true measure of Western’s excellence is the quality of our programs and, consequently, the caliber of our graduates who are highly sought after by employers and who become leaders in their fields and communities,” said WWU President Bruce Shepard. “The active minds of our more than 100,000 alumni change the lives of the citizens of our state and nation in so many important and enduring ways.”

Western also is ranked third among top public master’s-granting universities in the West, a region stretching from Texas to the Pacific.

And Western was among the top colleges in its category in the West for a high percentage of freshmen students `return`ing to school the following fall.

U.S. News has separate categories for “national” (doctoral-granting or research) universities, and liberal arts colleges, and for specialties such as business and engineering.

The magazine’s annual rankings are posted on its website, usnews.com. Rankings are based on a variety of criteria, including academic reputation, student selectivity and retention, faculty resources, peer assessment and financial resources.

Source: Bellinghamherald.com