UMaine’s Sustainability Story
1865
- Maine College of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts designated as a Land Grant Institution
1872
- Women admitted into all curricula
1887
- The Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station was founded as a division of the institution
1897
- Maine College of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts renamed as the University of Maine
1903
- Edith Marion Patch, UMaine’s first woman scientist, arrives in Orono to start the Entomology Department
1912
- Initiation of the Maine Cooperative Extension
1934
- Fay Hyland Arboretum established
1971
- UMaine receives first Sea Grant of $100,300
1972
- UMaine professor Frank Eggert conducts research into organic growing methods
1973
- UMaine Institute for Quaternary Studies founded (now called Climate Change Institute)
1980
- UMaine joins bi-state Sea Grant program with New Hampshire
1986
- UMaine Sustainable Agriculture program created
1988
- UMaine offers BS in Sustainable Agriculture
1994
- Black Bear Food Guild established
2000
- Maine Harvest for Hunger program
- The Advanced Structures and Composites Center opens
2001
- UMaine Green Bikes program initiated
2003
- UMaine Dining adopts computerized ordering system
- UMaine campus designated as an Arboretum
- Formation of the UMaine Sustainability Alliance (CCI student initiative)
2004
- ENERGY STAR purchases required campuswide
- Continuous Commissioning (Cimetrics) for major science and research buildings
- Expansion of natural gas service on campus
- UMaine Dining composts 19 metric tonnes of food waste
- First Orono Community Garden
- UMaine designated as a standalone National Sea Grant College
- UMaine Campus Carpool program
- Extensive campus lighting upgrades (energy efficient lights & electric timers)
2005
- LEED silver standards applied to all new campus construction projects
- 6 hybrid-electric vehicles added to University fleet
- Expansion of University-sponsored bus service to multiple local towns
- UMaine Dining composts 22 metric tonnes of food waste
- Formation of the UMaine Green Campus Initiative (eco-reps)
- Partnership with Clean Air Cool Planet to develop GHG emissions inventory
- Heating controls installed in resident rooms
- Switch to LED emergency exit lights
- UMaine $300,000 Green Loan Fund created
2006
- Signed the State of Maine Governor’s Carbon Challenge (CO2 10% below 2005 levels by 2010)
- UMaine Forest Bioproducts Research Institute receives $6.9M EPSCoR grant
- Advanced Structures and Composites Center awarded LEED Certification
- UMaine Environmental Solutions Initiative
- UMaine Dining composts 29 metric tonnes of food waste
- Steam plant & steam distribution system efficiency upgrades
- Campuswide energy audits
2007
- Completed comprehensive GHG emissions inventory
- UMaine implements Anti-Idling Policy for vehicles on campus
- UMaine Green Team founded
- UMaine hires utility/energy supervisor to manage energy consumption on campus
- UMaine Dining installs dishroom pulper saving 400 gallons H2O per day
- UMaine Dining composts 87 metric tonnes of food waste
- UMaine Signs the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment
- Low-flow shower heads installed in residence halls
- Implementation of environmental purchasing procedures
- Recycling efforts reduce waste stream by 45%
- Alfond Arena lighting upgrade
- Custodial staff use “Green Cleaning” products
2008
- UMaine receives the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification
- UMaine hires full-time Sustainability Coordinator
- Governor’s Carbon Challenge goals achieved 2 years ahead of schedule (CO2 10% below 2005 levels)
- Foster Center for Student Innovation awarded LEED Silver
- UMaine Dining composts 75 metric tonnes of food waste
- New Balance Student Recreation Center awarded LEED Silver
- Occupancy sensors and high-efficiency lighting installed in resident rooms and throughout residence halls
- UMaine Green Loan Fund officially ratified
2009
- UMaine dining switches to centralized production
- UMaine Black Bear Orono Express shuttle service begins
- GCI revives Blue Bikes program
- UMaine develops award-winning Campus Master Plan focused on sustainability
- Wells Conference Center awarded LEED Silver
- Maine’s Sustainability Solutions Initiative receives $20M NSF EPSCoR Grant
- UMaine Dining composts 127 metric tonnes of food waste
- Formation of the DeepCwind Consortium funded by the Department of Energy
- Central Steam Plant begins transition to natural gas fuel
2010
- UMaine dining commons go trayless
- Completed installation of 600kW back-pressure turbine in Central Steam Plant
- UMaine receives special recognition award from U.S. Green Building Council
- UMaine Dining composts 139 metric tonnes of food waste
- Featured in Princeton Review’s Green Colleges Guide
- UMaine releases its Climate Action Plan
2011
- Second Nature Climate Leadership Award
- Featured in Princeton Review’s Green Colleges Guide
- Princeton Review Green Honor Roll
- Zero-Sort single stream recycling implemented campuswide
- UMaine builds new bike path
- UMaine Dining composts 204 metric tonnes of food waste
- Alfond Arena renovation and energy retrofit
2012
- President Ferguson elected to serve on ACUPCC Steering Committee
- Terrell House Permaculture Living and Learning Center established
- Featured in Princeton Review’s Green Colleges Guide
- Princeton Review Green Honor Roll
- UMaine dining commons switch to unlimited access
- Offshore Wind Laboratory awarded LEED Gold
- New 60,000 lb/hr boiler completes 100% natural gas conversion at Central Steam Plant
- UMaine Dining composts 202 metric tonnes of food waste
- On-campus advanced composting facility
- Trash production down 35% since 2007
- Recycling up by 37% since 2007
- Energy use down 5% since 2006
- GHG Emissions down 20% since 2006
- UMaine Greens grows “local” food on campus
2013
- UMaine deploys VolturnUS 1:8, first concrete-composite floating wind turbine in the world
- Nutting Hall energy retrofit
- Stewart Commons renovations (New Media Center)
- Featured in Princeton Review’s Green Colleges Guide
- UMaine receives EPA Environmental Merit Award in partnership with Second Nature
- UMaine Dining composts 156 metric tonnes of food waste
- UMaine joins the EPA Food Recovery Challenge
- UMaine Dining diverts approximately 97% of its food waste from landfills
- Campus-wide sustainability and energy awareness programs
- Umaine Dining sources 17% of food locally
- UMaine diverted approximately 1077 Tons of waste from landfills/incinerators
2014
- President’s Council on Sustainability holds inaugural meeting
- UMaine initiates Zero-Waste protocol at large campus events
- UMaine joins EPA Waste Wise
- President Ferguson elected to Vice Chair of the ACUPCC Steering Committee
- UMaine Dining composts 218 metric tonnes of food waste
- Featured in Princeton Review’s Green Colleges Guide
- University of Maine Foundation votes to increase Green Loan Fund to $500,000
- Phase 1 of the Terrell House PLLC community garden completed
2015
- University of Maine System Board of Trustees votes to divest endowment from coal
- UMaine achieves 2nd Community Engagement Classification from the Carnegie Foundation
- Featured in Princeton Review’s Green Colleges Guide
- Faculty Senate votes to support full divestment from fossil fuels within 5 years
- UMaine Dining composts 200 metric tonnes of food waste
- UMaine recognized by EPA for its success in keeping food waste out of landfills
- Student Government votes to support full divestment from fossil fuels
- First Level-2 electric vehicle charging station installed
- Parking Services sells its first faculty/staff electric vehicle parking/charging permit
- Creation of the UMaine Green Revolving Fund brings UMaine Green Funds total to $1,000,000
2016
- Office of Sustainability hires half-time Outreach Coordinator
- Power Dialog: Maine’s Energy Future, conference
- PEAC professional development event: Fundamentals of Sustainability, with host Jaimie Cloud
- UMaine Dining composts 219 metric tonnes of food waste
- Featured in Princeton Review’s Green Colleges Guide
- Two Level-2 electric vehicle charging stations installed for student use
- 2016 President’s Campus Leadership Award presented to the UMaine Green Team
- Maine Day BBQ Zero-Waste event
- Zero-Sort recycling and composting introduced at UMaine football games
2017
- UMaine water use reduced by 32% from 2007 to 2017
- Maine’s public universities achieve a ten-year, 34% reduction in carbon emissions.
- Environmental, Social, & Governance (ESG) principles now taken under consideration when completing asset allocation and investment manager reviews in the UMS Managed Investment Pool.
- UMaine achieves 20% local food served on campus
- UMaine/MPES/Americorps coalition focusing on energy efficiency
- UMaine Dining composts 209 metric tonnes of food waste
- Featured in Princeton Review’s Green Colleges Guide
- Zero-Sort recycling at UMaine football games
- Inaugural issue of Spire: The Maine Journal of Conservation and Sustainability
- UMaine Unplugged: dorm energy saving challenge
2018
- Hired new full-time Sustainability Coordinator
- Second Nature award: Leading With Distinction
- Green Office Certification Program initiated
- UMaine/MPES/Americorps coalition focusing on energy efficiency for 2nd consecutive year
- Featured in Princeton Review’s Green Colleges Guide
- Five Green Loan Fund projects completed to date, saving UMaine more than $55,000 annually
- 2nd issue of Spire: The Maine Journal of Conservation and Sustainability
- Zero-Sort recycling at UMaine football games
- UMaine Dining composts 165 metric tonnes of food waste
- UMaine Bear’s Den switches all to-go containers to plant-based compostable bioplastic
2019
- Submitted UMaine’s first AASHE STARS report
- Awarded STARS Silver rating for campuswide sustainability efforts
- UMaine Dining commits to achieve 25% local food by 2025
- UMaine/MPES/Americorps coalition focusing on energy efficiency for 3rd consecutive year
- Featured in Princeton Review’s Green Colleges Guide
- Published 3rd issue of Spire: The Maine Journal of Conservation and Sustainability
- Installed additional campus EV charging spaces for a total of 21 on campus
- UMaine featured as one of SIERRA’s 2019 Cool Schools
- Zero-Sort recycling and Game Day Recycling Challenge at UMaine football games
- Launched the Office of Sustainability Newsletter
- UMaine recognized as a “Top Performer” in the Sustainable Campus Index grounds category
- UMaine Dining composts 145 metric tonnes of food waste
- Second Nature award: Leading With Distinction
2020
- Four ongoing Green Fund energy savings projects generating a combined annual savings of $66,829 and a combined lifetime savings of $892,522
- UMaine has committed to approximately 27,000,000 kWh of renewable energy generation per year
- UMaine recognized again as a “Top Performer” in the Sustainable Campus Index grounds category
- UMaine MEAP Campus Compact/Americorps coalition focusing on energy efficiency
- Featured in Princeton Review’s Green Colleges Guide
- UMaine Dining composts 57 metric tonnes of food waste
- 3.15 kW solar PV installation on the UMaine Terrell House
- Published 2020 issue of Spire: The Maine Journal of Conservation and Sustainability
- UMaine featured as one of SIERRA’s 2020 Cool Schools
2021
- Published 2021 issue of Spire: The Maine Journal of Conservation and Sustainability – our largest issue yet!
- UMaine Dining achieves 23.7% local food spend (24.4% achieved systemwide)
- Featured in Princeton Review’s Green Colleges Guide
- UMaine Dining composts 62 metric tonnes of food waste
- UMaine MEAP Campus Compact/Americorps coalition focusing on energy efficiency for 2nd consecutive year
- UMaine recognized again as a “Top Performer” in the Sustainable Campus Index grounds category
2022
- UMaine ranked among the top 50 U.S. campuses in the Campus Race to Zero Waste Food Organics competition
- UMS divests all direct equity and fixed income investments in fossil fuels by June 2022
- UMS will make no new direct investments in fossil fuels
- Published 2022 issue of Spire: The Maine Journal of Conservation and Sustainability
- Featured in Princeton Review’s Green Colleges Guide
- UMS commits to divest from actively managed commingled and mutual fund fossil fuel investments by 2030
- UMaine Dining achieves 25% (25.96%) local food spend almost three years ahead of schedule
Office of Sustainability
312-314 Corbett Hall
Orono, Maine 04469-5774
Tel: 207.581.1571
sustainability@maine.edu
