UC Irvine is the greenest campus in the United States according to 2014 Sierra Club article where they evaluated 173 campuses nationwide. In the article, “America’s Greenest Colleges,” the author, Avital Andrews, writes:

“In 2008, UC Irvine vowed to improve its energy efficiency by 20 percent by 2020, then hit that target seven years early, making it the first U.S. school to achieve that goal. Then administrators doubled down by pledging an additional 20 percent energy reduction by 2020. Helping the matter: three on-site solar power projects and a 19-megawatt cogeneration plant with turbines powered by combustion and steam. The school’s water-recycling program saves more than 210 million gallons per year.”

The University of California Irvine is doing its part in using reclaimed water for landscaping on campus. Sections of grass turf, like where “Conservation through Creation” is located, are being removed and replaced it with drought tolerant native plants.

UC Irvine has become a green and innovative role model for, not only our local community, but for institutions nationwide. “Conservation through Creation” will shed light on UCI’s efforts in promoting sustainability nationwide.