Business View Magazine - September 2015

22 Business View - September 2015 Business View - September 2015 23 Northern Arizona University A gold star school at the forefront of campus sustainability Northern Arizona University (NAU) is a public univer- sity located in Flagstaff, Arizona. It has a student population of over 20,000, with approximately 7,000 living on campus. The school offers 87 bachelor de- gree programs, 48 master’s degree programs, and 10 doctoral degree programs, along with 38 undergradu- ate and 26 graduate certificates. Like many colleges and universities, today, NAU has numerous programs and curricula devoted to environmental science and awareness. The school’s Office of Sustainability was instituted in 2007. Its mission is to provide a living laboratory where students, faculty, and staff can par- ticipate in the development of social equity, economic stability, and environmental stewardship in seven key areas: water, recycling and waste minimization, trans- portation, operations, procurement, energy and cli- mate change, and academics and research. All seven of those key initiatives are part of NAU’s Sus- tainability Action Plan, originally created in 2010, and updated and revised in 2015. The goal of the Plan is to meet 25 percent of each section’s actions by this year, 50 percent by 2016, 70 percent by 2017, 80 percent by 2018, 90 percent by 2019, and 100 percent by 2020. Some of NAU’s additional sustainable accom- plishments and projects include: the development and implementation of 29 undergraduate and 13 graduate academic degree programs in the environment and sustainability, 79 academic courses in sustainability and 125 academic courses related to sustainability; an 18 million dollar investment in a campus-wide, en- ergy efficiency retrofit and conservation program; a million dollar investment in 138 dual “Big Belly” out- door recycling and trash receptacles; the initial move- ment towards a new water irrigation system that will reduce landscaping water use by approximately 35 percent; and LEED certification of 15 campus build- ings by the end of 2016. (Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, LEED stands for Leadership in En- AT A GLANCE WHO: Northern Arizona University WHAT: A public university, first established in 1899 WHERE: Main campus is located in Flagstaff, AZ WEBSITE : www.nau.edu NAU’s Office of Sustainability Americorp member, Rachelle Berry, demonstrating a solar thermal technology. This project was se- lected as a finalist in the category of Arizona Forward’s 35th Annual Environmental Excellence Awards program in the category of the Governor’s Award for Arizona’ Future. clean & Green clean & Green