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UCSD EcoNauts

The Sierra Club is getting into the college rankings game, on Tuesday morning (August 11) releasing a list of top universities nationwide based on their eco-friendliness. UC San Diego finds itself among four schools in the University of California system ranked in the top ten.

San Diego's seventh place ranking topped UC Berkeley's spot at number ten, but fell to the Irvine and Davis campuses, which ranked first and second in the nation, respectively. Survey writers focused on water-conservation efforts and campus sustainability programs in slotting the UCSD campus.

"Considering California’s drought, UCSD deserves special attention for its efforts to conserve. Since 2009, the campus has reduced its water use by more than 30 million gallons a year, and in the last year has recycled 400,000 gallons," notes Sierra Magazine's Cool Schools feature.

"All new landscaping uses drought-­tolerant plants. There are many eco-­groups on campus, including Aquaholics Anonymous, which hosts water-­saving competitions in the dorms. And the EcoNauts hand out reusable water bottles, lead campus 'EcoTours,' and teach members of the UCSD community how to live sustainably. More than a third of the school’s fleet is all­-electric, and 55 vehicles run on biofuel."

UCSD scored a total 765 of a possible 1000 points on a scale ranking items including curriculum, food programs, transportation options, waste handling, and other variables. Top-ranked UC Irvine received an 859 score, the only campus to top the 800 mark.

University of San Diego (69th) was also ranked on the list, which stretches to 153 places.