Environmental Initiatives and Accolades

The University has been recognized as a Green College by The Princeton Review several years in a row. FSU’s efforts to “go green” are guided by our Climate Action Plan, with input from the Student Green Team and other members of the community.

Since 2007, FSU has successfully raised the percentage of its energy generated by renewable sources from 1 percent to nearly 20 percent. Recently, the University converted its power plant from number 6 fuel oil to natural gas, a move that reduced our carbon footprint by 30 percent. The Power Plant conversion was part of a larger Energy Performance Contract (EPC) that includes various energy conservation measures ranging from campus-wide light replacements to new heating, ventilation and cooling (HVAC) systems. The University is saving hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual energy costs thanks to the effort.

In the fall of 2010, FSU Dining Services, managed by Sodexo, began on-site processing of all pre- and most post-consumer food waste generated in the Dining Commons. This process reroutes approximately 80 tons of waste from entering a landfill each year and instead transfers it, at a greatly reduced weight and volume, to a local composting facility.

The 2015 purchase of the Warren Conference Center will allow for much needed field expansion of these programs. Besides the 70 acre setting of the center itself, it is surrounding by Warren Woods, Ashland State Park, Massachusetts Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary, as well as private property protected by conservation restrictions totaling close to 1,600 acres of relatively contiguous conservation land.

Other efforts to become more energy efficient have included installing photovoltaic cells on the McCarthy Campus Center and Athletic Building; changing course schedules to reduce the number of days commuters have to drive to campus; and eliminating trays in the Dining Commons to save on dishwashing. North Hall, the University’s new residence hall, is also LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold Certified.