Examination of US University Sustainability and Recovery Activities

63% of schools sampled have an established recycling program on campus, with an average recycling rate of 24%.

RRS conducted research on the U.S. university and college landscape to enable a better understanding of the level of campus sustainability and recovery practices and to provide peer schools with comparable data.

Approximately 11% or 312 universities and colleges within the U.S. were sampled for this phase of the research. Research has been categorized by U.S. region and student enrollment size.

Special note: RRS conducted online research into universities and colleges across the U.S. prior to the COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent restrictions placed on businesses and educational institutions. The data in this report is reflective of educational institutions’ sustainability and recovery activities prior to the pandemic and does not include the impact of COVID-19 on those activities.

Podcast

Hear from lead author and RRS consultant Kelly Domino as she talks about the report’s findings.

RRS podcast episode Apr2021-1

Webinar Recording

Listen to the webinar recording to hear about the report findings and how to use the data as a benchmark for university sustainability programs. The webinar also featured two universities highlighting sustainability programs: Michigan State University’s Surplus Store & Recycling Center, and Clemson University’s composting program.

Download Report

Please provide the following information. Once you click on Submit & Download, another tab will open in your browser with a copy of the report in PDF format.