For the second year in a row, Duquesne University has been recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency for buying more electricity from environmentally low-impact sources than any other institution in its athletic conference.
Duquesne bought nearly 13 kilowatt-hours of electricity, or 28 percent of its annual usage, from sources with low carbon dioxide output, besting every other school in the Atlantic 10 Conference.
"We are honored to be recognized, once again, for our commitment to a more sustainable campus," Charles J. Dougherty, president of Duquesne University, said in a news release. "Being a responsible steward of natural resources is one of the ways that Duquesne demonstrates its global mission."
The "green" electricity that Duquesne purchased is equivalent to the amount needed to power more than 1,200 average American homes each year and is equivalent to taking 1,600 passenger cars off the road annually, according to EPA estimates.
Duquesne was part of the 2008-2009 challenge involving 22 collegiate conferences and 44 schools that collectively purchased more than 1 billion kilowatt-hours of green power. Green power comes from such resources as solar, wind, geothermal, biogas, biomass and low-impact hydraulic.
