This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Quinnipiac University recognized by EPA as top green power user in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

Just in time for Earth Day, Quinnipiac University was recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a 2013-2014 Individual Conference Champion of the College & University Green Power Challenge for using more green power than any other school in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

"Quinnipiac is honored to be a leader in the EPA's power challenge,” said Keith Woodward, associate vice president for facilities operations. “We work diligently every day to be at the forefront of sustainability and this acknowledgement by the EPA confirms that Quinnipiac is headed in the right direction."

Since April 2006, the EPA’s Green Power Partnership has tracked and recognized the collegiate athletic conferences with the highest combined green power use in the nation. The Individual Conference Champion Award recognizes the school that has the largest individual use of green power within a qualifying conference.

Find out what's happening in Hamdenwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Quinnipiac beat its conference rivals by using more than 39 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power, representing 100 percent of the school’s annual electricity usage. Quinnipiac is buying renewable energy certificates (RECs) from Renewable Choice Energy. This demonstrates a proactive choice to switch away from traditional sources of electricity generation and support cleaner renewable energy alternatives.

Quinnipiac has several green initiatives across all three campuses. On the York Hill Campus, wind turbines generate 32,000 kilowatt hours of energy annually, while 721 roof-top photovoltaic panels gather power from the sun, saving another 250,000 kilowatts.

Find out what's happening in Hamdenwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In addition, the North Haven Campus features energy-efficient heating and cooling units and lighting fixtures, low VOC paint, Green Guard-certified carpeting and new windows with energy-saving thermal glazing. The Mount Carmel Campus is home to a community garden and a farmer’s market during the fall and spring semesters.

According to the U.S. EPA, Quinnipiac's green power use of more than 39 million kWh is equivalent to avoiding the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the electricity use of nearly 4,000 average American homes annually, or the CO2 emissions of nearly 6,000 passenger vehicles per year.

Thirty-three collegiate conferences and 79 schools competed in the 2013-2014 challenge, collectively using nearly 2.3 billion kWh of green power.

Quinnipiac is a private, coeducational, nonsectarian institution located 90 minutes north of New York City and two hours from Boston. The university enrolls 6,500 full-time undergraduate and 2,500 graduate students in 58 undergraduate and more than 20 graduate programs of study in its School of Business and Engineering, School of Communications, School of Education, School of Health Sciences, School of Law, Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine, School of Nursing and College of Arts and Sciences. Quinnipiac consistently ranks among the top regional universities in the North in U.S. News & World Report’s America’s Best Colleges issue. The 2014 issue of U.S. News & World Report’s America’s Best Colleges named Quinnipiac as the top up-and-coming school with master’s programs in the Northern Region. Quinnipiac also is recognized in Princeton Review’s “The Best 377 Colleges.” The Chronicle of Higher Education has named Quinnipiac among the “Great Colleges to Work For.” For more information, please visit www.quinnipiac.edu. Connect with Quinnipiac on Facebook at www.facebook.com/quinnipiacuniversity and follow Quinnipiac on Twitter @QuinnipiacU.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?