Environmental Leadership

The UNI Sustainability Office facilitated and highlighted a number of projects that earned regional and national accolades for our university.  Working toward these types of recognitions remains a key strategy.

Year 2 Milestone Awards and Recognitions:

• STARS Gold rating – UNI was the first school in Iowa to submit our institution for rating and remains the highest rated school in the Midwest for campus sustainability.

• Special Recognition in Water Quality: Iowa Governor’s Environmental Excellence Award – UNI was acknowledged for our outstanding efforts to reduce campus impacts on the water quality in Dry Run Creek.

• Iowa Governor’s Environmental Excellence Award – The UNI and SUI Sustainability Offices jointly submitted a nomination, which was awarded to the Board of Regents for the comprehensive sustainability efforts at the three Regents Universities.

• EPA Waste Wise – UNI was the first school in Iowa to become an EPA WasteWise partner organization.  UNI has been highlighted by EPA Region 7 for our outstanding efforts in waste diversion. 

• Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program (PESP) – Student employees of the Sustainability Office authored the first integrated pest management policy for campus.  This submission received a bronze award from the US Environmental Protection Agency.

• EPA OnCampus ecoAmbassadors – UNI was the host school for three EPA student ecoAmbassadors in 2011.  These ecoAmbassadors were student employees of the UNI Sustainability Office and acted as not only a direct link between a federal agency and our campus, but also represented the interests of all other college and university campuses within EPA Region 7 (Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, and Kansas)

• Great Green Schools List – UNI was recognized as one of the “greenest” schools in the nation by the Princeton Review for the second year in a row in 2011.  Recently UNI was notified that we will once again be included in this listing for 2012.