UC San Diego Ranked in Top 20 of Sierra Magazine’s ‘Coolest Schools’ List

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Photo by Erik Jepsen/UC San Diego Publications

The University of California, San Diego has been ranked the 17th “Coolest School” by Sierra magazine for displaying a deep and thorough commitment to protecting the environment, addressing climate issues and encouraging environmental responsibility. The eighth annual “Coolest Schools” list was published today by Sierra magazine, a publication of the Sierra Club, the oldest and largest environmental group in the U.S.

“It is an honor to be recognized as one the country’s most sustainable colleges,” said Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla. “This acknowledgement can be attributed to the campus’s faculty, students and staff who work to make sustainability a priority in our teaching, research and campus operations. Sustainability is in our DNA, as researchers from UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography were among the first to address modern climate change science and research.”

In 1958, Charles David Keeling of UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography established the Keeling Curve, the first measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration, which is now known as the most important geophysical measurement of the 20th century.

Vice Chancellor for Resource Management and Planning Gary Matthews noted: “Over the past five decades, UC San Diego has continued to build on this pioneering climate change research through efforts to protect the environment, address climate issues and encourage environmental responsibilities.”

UC San Diego jumped four spots this year in the Sierra rankings, moving up from last year’s 21st place.

Schools were ranked based on an extensive survey created by Sierra and the Association for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). Using a customized scoring system, Sierra assessed universities based on their commitment to upholding high environmental standards.

“From innovative research and development to powering campuses with wind and solar, to educating students in the most advanced thinking on sustainability, colleges and universities are leaders and models for the rest of society,” said Bob Sipchen, Sierra magazine’s editor in chief. “Sierra magazine congratulates those that made our annual ‘Coolest Schools’ list.”

To view the complete list of the “Coolest Schools,” go here.