Editing American University (section)

===Sustainability===
An environmental science class at American conducted a study from February to April 2009 to measure the amount of [[food waste]] avoided by eliminating trays from one of the college's dining halls. The class found that trayless dinners resulted in 47.1% less solid waste than dinners during which trays were used, spurring a student-driven campaign to go trayless across campus.<ref name="News Release">{{cite web| title =News Release: American University Environmental Science Department Finds Cafeteria Waste Reduction in Trayless Study| publisher =American University Department of Environmental Science
| url =http://academic3.american.edu/~hayesd7/AU_Food_Waste_Research_Press_Release.htm | access-date = June 8, 2009 }}</ref>

In 2011, the [[Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education]] (AASHE) awarded American University a gold rating, the highest possible, on their STARS scale for sustainability. Since then, American University has earned five consecutive gold ratings, the most recent in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|title=American University {{!}} Institutions {{!}} STARS Reports|url=https://reports.aashe.org/institutions/american-university-dc/report/|access-date=September 1, 2020|language=en-US}}</ref>

Also in 2011, American University's School of International Service building earned Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification for its 70,000 square foot building renowned for sustainable design and "cradle-to-cradle" philosophy.<ref>[https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/american-university-dc/report/2011-01-31/ American University | Scorecard | Institutions | AASHE STARS]. Stars.aashe.org (January 31, 2011). Retrieved on November 22, 2011.</ref>

In 2014, American University ranked #2 in the [[Sierra Club]]'s list of the 'Top 10 Greenest Colleges'.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Andrews|first1=Avital|title=America's Greenest Colleges: The Top 10 |date=July 25, 2014|url=http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/slideshow/top-ten-coolest-schools-2014|publisher=Sierra Club|access-date=April 7, 2015}}</ref>

In 2014, the university announced an ambitious project to build a solar farm in partnership with George Washington University.<ref>{{Cite press release |title=Fall 2014 Board of Trustees Meeting -- Sustainability & Fossil Free Discussion and Decision |date=November 21, 2014 |publisher=American University |url=https://www.american.edu/trustees/November-21-2014.cfm |last1=Sine |first1=Jeffrey A. |access-date=March 12, 2018}}</ref> {{as of|2016|January}}, the completed solar farm provides an equivalent of 50% of the university's electricity.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.american.edu/media/news/20160328-Solar-Energy-Half-AU-Power.cfm |title=American University Achieves Energy Milestone: Solar Energy Now Comprises Half of AU's Power |last=Alexander |first=Kelly |date=March 28, 2016 |website=American University |access-date=March 12, 2018}}</ref>

In 2018, American University became the first university in the United States to achieve carbon-neutral status.<ref>{{Cite press release |url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/carbon-neutrality-is-now-reality-at-american-university-300636317.html |title=Carbon Neutrality is Now Reality at American University |publisher=American University |via=PR Newswire |access-date=April 25, 2018}}</ref> In 2020, AU announced that it had eliminated all public fossil fuel investments from its endowment.<ref>{{Cite web|date=April 22, 2020|title=American University Eliminates All Public Fossil Fuel Investments from Its Endowment|url=https://www.american.edu/media/news/20200422-divestment.cfm|access-date=September 1, 2020|website=American University|language=en}}</ref>