University of Arkansas Wins Environmental Award From National Wildlife Federation

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RESTON, Va. – The University of Arkansas has been honored by National Wildlife Federation as a winner in the annual competition Chill Out: Campus Solutions to Global Warming. This award program honors U.S. schools that are advancing creative solutions to global warming on their campuses. The University of Arkansas is one of five winning schools that were chosen from a national pool of entries.

The University of Arkansas has initiated a series of projects to green its campus and tackle global warming, including the formation of a Sustainability Council comprising students, faculty and staff. A combination of 25 projects — ranging from a strong recycling program to use of waste vegetable oil for biofuels — aim for a target of cutting greenhouse gases by half below the business-as-usual level by 2021 and climate neutrality by 2040.

The winning video was created by Global Campus staff Brian Petty, videography; Mickel McConnell, video engineering; Chris Erwin, producer; and University of Arkansas director of campus sustainability, Nick Brown, scriptwriter.

“Higher education leaders are confronting the climate crisis in inventive and effective ways, and the University of Arkansas’ campus sustainability program is an outstanding example of the energy and fun students are bringing to the effort,” said Jennifer Fournelle, campus ecology program coordinator for National Wildlife Federation. “Chill Out competitors continue to raise the bar and, students in particular, are tirelessly leading the way by conducting building-energy audits, weatherizing local homes, shifting to local organic foods and even by helping to raise funds for large clean energy installations on campus.”

Recycling, energy efficiency and conservation efforts at the school have already led to an emissions reduction of an amazing 40,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year – a 25 percent total reduction since the plan’s inception. The reduction in energy usage has also resulted in a $4 million savings per year. Other projects in progress at the University of Arkansas include green building design and construction, integration of solar electricity, enhancement of the bicycle infrastructure and extensive retrofitting of the heating, air-conditioning and lighting systems to decrease energy usage and waste.

Other winning schools in the contest include: Boston Latin School (Boston, Mass.), Western State College of Colorado (Gunnison, Co.), Central Florida Community College (Ocala, Fla.), and Georgia Tech (Atlanta, Ga.). For all these impressive efforts, the National Wildlife Federation will feature the winning colleges in the Chill Out: Campus Solutions to Global Warming webcast on April 21. This year’s webcast will feature Alisa Reyes (Nickelodeon’s All That) and the National Wildlife Federation’s own David Mizejewski as co-hosts. They will celebrate the winning campuses and showcase the work that is happening on campuses nationwide. The free program is a great organizing tool for campus groups and should prove to be entertaining, educational and inspiring.

Register and view the Chill Out webcast online.

The National Wildlife Federation’s Campus Ecology Program has been an integral part of the campus greening movement since 1989. The nation’s 4,100 colleges and universities educate more than 15 million students in any given year, making these schools important laboratories for creativity and innovation — keys to tackling a monumental crisis like global warming.

National Wildlife Federation's mission is to inspire Americans to protect wildlife for our children's future. Visit www.nwf.org.