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Sierra magazine ranks UC Davis 16th nationally

August 16, 2010

UC Davis was ranked among the "top of the class" in Sierra magazine's 2010 Cool Schools survey, earning the 16th spot among America's 100 greenest schools. Last year UC Davis was ranked 24th.

In highlighting its top 20 schools, the magazine of the Sierra Club singled out UC Davis for offering courses in sustainable agriculture and food systems, part of the development process for a new major.

In a "fantasy draft" of classes and professors, the magazine also highlighted UC Davis' course on ecogeomorphology, which includes a two-week field study of a specific waterway and its ecosystem. The course is taught by faculty from the Center for Watershed Sciences.


Sierra magazine's 11-page questionnaire covered sustainability topics across 10 categories, with responses from 162 college campuses this year. The rankings encourage intercollegiate rivalry in an effort to improve campus sustainability efforts and provide ways to measure such efforts.


Though the survey prioritized the energy supply of each university this year, UC Davis' rankings improved in nearly all categories. In the three categories of waste management, purchasing and other initiatives, UC Davis was awarded perfect 10s.

"We're working hard to actively address all aspects of campus sustainability including transportation, waste reduction, energy efficiency, water conservation and campus dining," said Sid England, assistant vice chancellor for environmental stewardship and sustainability at UC Davis. "So of course it's gratifying to see our rankings improve."

UC Davis’ scores and survey responses are available online. 



Since the survey was submitted in March, UC Davis has released its first-ever Climate Action Plan, taken a leadership role in developing the region as a clean technology hub and debuted a new campuswide sustainability website.


"Improving environmental stewardship in campus operations, as well as our strong academic programs, helps UC Davis nurture a sustainable future by providing new experiences for future leaders and models for the region's communities," England said.

In July, three UC Davis graduate students were awarded prestigious Switzer environmental fellowships, and UC Davis was recognized by the Fiske Guide to Colleges as one of the top 10 universities for environmental studies. Earlier this year UC Davis earned an A- on the College Sustainability Report Card and was ranked among Greenopia's top 10 green universities nationally.

Find out more about Sierra Magazine’s Cool Schools survey.

Find out more about sustainability at UC Davis and our Sustainable 2nd Century.