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York the Greenest University in Canada; Just how green?

(CBC) For the second year in a row Toronto’s York University has ranked first among Canadian universities in a global campus sustainability survey. The university was 14th in the world among participating universities from 42 countries in the 2011 UI GreenMetric Ranking of World Universities. The rankings are based on criteria such as energy consumption, commuting practices, waste and water management, green space on campus, and the application of eco-sustainability policies and efforts.

1.

York University's green report card

GreenReportCard
GreenReportCard is a nonproft, donation-driven website which examines schools' sustainability through a variety of criteria, before assigning a final letter grade. York University arrives at an impressive B plus, but unlike UI GreenMetric's rankings, it's not the highest score in Canada. UBC and U of C score A minuses. York scored strongly in all categories except shareholder engagement, however only 22% of schools score above a C in this category. The site provides in depth information on each Universities' sustainability.

Dalhousie University scores a B from GreenReportCard, earning high marks for buying local food, high amounts of student involvement and formalizing a commitment to sustainability through its Sustainability Policy and Statement of Principles.

2.

The GreenMetric Rankings

2011 UI GreenMetric Rankings
The UI GreenMetric rankings, in which York ranked number one in Canada, are set up by the University of Indonesia. It was established after a conference hosting experts on University rankings concluded that most rankings do not include any metric for sustainability. The rankings use baseline information, such as size(both population and spatial). Universities submit this information themselves, through an online form.

3.

University Energy Consumption by Region

Office of Energy Efficiency Consumption of Energy Survey for Universities, Colleges and Hospitals, 2003
Though from 2003, this government report shows an indepth look at how universities actually use energy. It analyzes consumption on a region by region basis, then provides context for this information. For example, energy intensity can be affected by a plethora of factors, including source of energy and the climate of the region. 

4.

York University's sustainability initiatives

York University Sustainability Initiatives
York's sustainability council website shows their primary green initiatives, which were key to their ranking number one. The initiatives are divided into type. After viewing each type, you can look at summaries of each initiative, and follow links to relevant websites. 

5.

Ontario Ministry of the Environment blog on University green efforts

Universities are looking to individual efforts along with green architecture and technology to help them save energy and water
This blog post from November outlines the sustainability initiatives being taken by Ontario universities, incuding York. It is a good snapshot of the surrent state of suatainability efforts on campuses in Canada.