An international survey of more than 400 colleges has ranked UC Davis No. 3 in the world in environmental sustainability for the university's teaching, research, campus lifestyle and management.

The annual GreenMetric rankings by the University of Indonesia moved UC Davis up one spot from its No. 4 ranking a year earlier. It is now behind only the University of Nottingham in England and the University of Connecticut.

“Our campus is committed to being a global leader in environmental sustainability,” Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi said. “This ranking reflects all the work our faculty, staff and students have been doing on multiple fronts, from the courses we teach to the research we conduct to our everyday use of natural resources.”

GreenMetric uses many different indicators of environmental sustainability, including campus operations — such as transportation, water and energy usage, carbon emissions and waste management — as well as the amount of research money, course offerings, scholarly events, and student organizations dedicated to the environment and sustainability.

The rankings are intended to encourage universities to become environmental trendsetters for society, and increase public awareness of global climate change and resource conservation.

Multiple environmental achievements

UC Davis has achieved several environmental milestones recently and continues to better itself each year.

In 2012, Sierra magazine named UC Davis the nation’s “Coolest School” for its sustainability and climate change efforts. Last fall, UC Davis and SunPower dedicated the largest solar power plant of its kind on a college campus in North America. The solar installation supplies 14 percent of the Davis campus's electricity. And UC Davis West Village, the nation’s largest planned zero-net energy community, continues to be a living laboratory for energy efficiency, attracting interest and visitors from builders and government agencies worldwide.

The complete 2015 rankings are available on the UI GreenMetric website.