Appalachian State Ranks High In Sustainability Report

A program that tracks sustainability efforts on college campuses is out with its latest report, and Appalachian State University was among those getting high marks.

It finished first overall among primarily master's-degree-granting universities (those granting fewer than 20 doctoral degrees) in the latest ranking of participants in Sustainable Campus Index.

The university also finished second in the curriculum category, behind only Green Mountain College in Vermont. And it tied for third for the design, construction and operations of the campus' green-friendly buildings.

Appalachian has hosted an energy summit for the last five years that focuses on reducing energy costs across the UNC system, and this year set a goal of diverting 90 percent of campus waste away from landfills by the year 2022.

More than 800 schools voluntarily submit reports to the program known as STARS (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment And Rating System), which produces the sustainability index.