Fairfield University Named One of U.S.’s Greenest Campuses

Fairfield University has been included in Sierra Magazine’s list of colleges and universities nationwide that are committed to sustainability projects. The magazine is a publication of the Sierra Club, the oldest and largest grassroots environmental organization in the country.

Energy supply carried the most significance this year, but nine other categories were considered in measuring a school’s commitment to sustainability: efficiency, food, academics, purchasing, transportation, waste management, administration, financial investments and a catchall section titled “other initiatives.” Fairfield received its highest grades for its administration, purchasing policy and “other initiatives,” with academics and waste removal close behind.

Those “other initiatives” at Fairfield refer to an array of campus green projects, including the university’s carbon footprint reduction plan; fiscal year 2009 showed a 7 percent reduction over fiscal year 2008.

Also notable was Fairfield’s construction of the Fairfield Jesuit Community Center, complete with earth-friendly components, such as a geo-thermal energy system, a garden roof full of sedum plants and recycled content from structural steel to carpets.

David W. Frassinelli, assistant vice president and director of facilities management, is Fairfield’s sustainability officer. “We’re making significant headway in carbon reductions,” he said. “In the last year alone, the university acquired a hybrid shuttle bus, implemented car and bike sharing programs, broke ground on a campus garden (pictured) and removed incandescent bulbs in dorms to make room for compact spiral fluorescents.” [Fairfield University]