Uses more clean energy than any Horizon League school

Cleveland State University has been selected by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as the Horizon League Conference Champion in the 2017-18 College and University Green Power Challenge. CSU uses more than 18 million kilowatt-hours of green power per year, more than any other school in the Horizon League. This represents 30 percent of the school¡¯s electricity use and is equivalent to the electricity needed to power 2,000 average American homes.

In the 2017-18, the 38 collegiate conferences and 109 schools competing in the Challenge used nearly 3.6 billion kWh of green power. The competition is open to any collegiate athletic conference in the United States. To qualify, a conference must include at least two schools that qualify as Green Power Partners, and the conference must collectively use at least 10 million kWh of green power.

¡°CSU is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with campus operations, and we are honored to win this award for the second year in a row,¡± says Jennifer McMillin, director of campus sustainability at CSU.

Cleveland State¡¯s green energy effort is a component of a broader sustainability plan which is designed to reduce waste, increase efficiency and conserve water and energy across campus. For example, CSU Dining transitioned from disposable tableware to 100% plant-based compostable products. Last year, twenty tons of waste was composted thanks to a kitchen compost program which contributed to a total of 287 tons of waste diverted from landfills in 2017. Other efforts include the launch of a battery recycling program, the addition of new labels to recycling bins across campus, and the development of a Green Event Guide to assist planners to reduce waste at campus events.

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