Ivy League conference remains overall green power champion

May 7, 2008—For the second year in a row, the Ivy League wins as the overall champion conference in the US Environmental Protection Agency’s 2007-2008 College & University Green Power Challenge.

Led by the University of Pennsylvania, the Ivy League’s cumulative annual purchase of more than 220 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) reportedly has the equivalent environmental impact of avoiding the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of nearly 32,000 vehicles. This year’s challenge included 40 competing institutions representing 18 different conferences nationwide, says the EPA.

In addition to the Ivy League, EPA’s Green Power Partnership also recognized the leading green power purchases of 17 other Partner schools as individual conference champions. In total, the colleges and universities represented in this year’s challenge are buying more than 960 million kWh of green power annually, which EPA estimates is equivalent to the electricity needed to power nearly 97,000 average American homes each year.

The 18 individual conference champions for the 2007-2008 challenge are listed below, with the champion’s amount of green power purchase in kWh, as well as their respective conference’s total purchase.

• University of Pennsylvania, PA (Ivy League)—192,727,000; 221,583,000
• New York University, NY (University Athletic Assoc.) 132,000,000; 147,000,000
• Pennsylvania State University, PA (Big Ten Conf.) 83,600,000; 133,600,000
• Oregon State University, OR (Pacific-10 Conf.) 66,680,400; 84,024,400
• Colby College, ME (New England Small Coll. Athl.) 17,428,000; 61,890,000
• University of CA, Santa Cruz, CA (Assoc. of Div. III Indep.) 57,000,000; 59,400,000
• Western WA Univ., WA (Great Northwest Athletic Conf.) 40,000,000; 42,841,400
• University of Utah, UT (Mountain West Conf.) 36,666,000; 40,103,466
• Southern Oregon University, OR (Cascade Collegiate Conf.) 17,622,000; 33,828,000
• University of Central Oklahoma, OK (Lone Star Conf.) 26,000,000; 26,000,000
• Syracuse University, NY (Big East Conf.) 22,000,000; 22,000,000
• Southern NH University, NH (Northeast-10 Conf.) 12,000,000; 16,000,000
• St. Mary’s College of MD, MD (Capital Athletic Conf.) 15,000,000; 15,000,000
• University at Buffalo, NY (Mid-American Conf.) 13,300,000; 13,300,000
• Oberlin College, OH (North Coast Athletic Conf.) 10,856,240; 12,806,240
• Duquesne University, PA (Atlantic 10 Conference) 12,500,000; 12,500,000
• Lewis & Clark College OR (Northwest Conference) 4,432,000; 10,518,400
• Rowan University, NJ (New Jersey Athletic Conf.) 10,433,673; 10,433,673

EPA also ranked the individual Top 10 College & University green power purchasers among higher education institutions within the Green Power Partnership, as of April 8. The combined purchases of these organizations amounts to more than 817million kilowatt-hours of green power annually.

The Top 10 College & University green power purchasers (listed in descending order of annual green power usage [kWh] per year, along with the percentage out of the college’s total electricity use) are:

1. University of Pennsylvania (Ivy League): 192,727,000; 46%
2. New York University (University Athletic Assoc.—UAA): 132,000,000; 100%
3. Pennsylvania State University (Big 10): 83,600,000; 20%
4. Oregon State University (Pacific 10): 66,680,400; 74%
5. California State University System (Numerous): 66,189,000; 9%
6. University of CA Santa Cruz (Assoc. of Div. III Independents): 57,000,000; 100%
7. Texas A&M University System (Numerous): 43,350,000; 15%
8. The City University of New York (Numerous): 41,400,000>; 10% </li
9. (tie) Northwestern University (Big 10): 40,000,000; 20%
   (tie) Western Washington Univ. (Great NW Athletic Conf.—GNAC): 40,000,000; 100%