Six Institutions Earn Recognition for Top Energy and GHG Performance

The Sustainable Endowments Institute (SEI) has named six institutions in the Green Revolving Investment Tracking System (GRITS) that have recorded the best efficiency project or best overall portfolio performance in the GRITS Library. These institutions are the “Best of GRITS 2015.”

“The Best of GRITS awards recognizes some of the great work that is being done in the field.” Said SEI’s Executive Director and Founder, Mark Orlowski. “We’re excited about the performance of these projects and hope that other institutions can look to this work as strong examples of how an institution can cut their greenhouse gas emissions while cutting costs.”

The six institutions that have earned the distinction of “Best of GRITS” are:

• —Denison University: Most Carbon Emissions Saved to Date (Small Institution)
• —University of New England: Most Carbon Emissions Saved to Date (Mid-Sized Institution)
• —Western Michigan University: Most Carbon Emissions Saved to Date (Large Institution)
• —Edgewood College: Highest Average Annual Energy Savings from a Single Project (Small Institution)
• —Southern Connecticut State University: Highest Average Annual Energy Savings from a Single Project (Mid-sized Institution)
• —University of Michigan: Most Completed Projects Recorded by One Institution

The GRITS Library is tracking over 1,300 completed projects that have saved over $138 million and 18 million MMBTU of energy to date. These projects report a median annual return on investment of 18.6 percent.

The GRITS tool is an important part of the changing landscape of institutional operations, one that is focused on efficiency and data to identify problem areas and inspire action on campus. The webtool, launched by SEI in 2014, was developed to help institutions across the United States and Canada manage their energy- and resource-efficiency project-level data. The GRITS Library is available to any institution in the GRITS network, and can be used to assess an individual project’s performance as well as access a growing compendium of projects. Through the tool, SEI is seeking to help institutions build the business case for sustainability and better manage their projects through the improved tracking of environmental impacts and the cost-saving opportunities that efficiency projects can provide.

For more information on the Best of GRITS, the winners, or the GRITS tool, please email info@endowmentinstitute.org.