The Green Knights

Once again, UCF has been rated as one of the 330 most environmentally responsible colleges in the nation, according to The Princeton Review’s fifth annual “Guide to Green Colleges.”

“At UCF, one of the biggest contributors to our carbon footprint is the use of automobiles on campus. To address this, we provide effective and convenient off-campus shuttles for students, as well as utilize biodiesel in some of our fleet vehicles,” explains Brittany Sellers, sustainability research and programs coordinator.

Among the many factors that contributed to UCF’s rating are the initiatives to generate student consciousness and involvement. A popular on-campus housing initiative already in motion is the Kill-AWatt Student Energy Conservation Competition. The students save extra cash through lower utility bills, and those with the greatest reduction in energy consumption receive scholarships. In addition, game-day recycling drives run by volunteers during football season cut back on the amount of waste produced from tailgating events, and the Student Move Out Recycling Project gathers unwanted items left behind when students move out of the dorms.

A focal point of UCF’s sustainability efforts is to encourage students to take energy reduction and other green activities into their own hands.