AU is committed to sustainability as a culture that’s visible the moment you step on campus.

Photo courtesy of the Office of Sustainability.

From dedicated zero-waste sorting systems and campus electricity-saving competitions, to creative collaborations with local DC partners and more, the entire American University community plays a role in contributing to sustainability progress.

Today we want to share some highlights from this year, because here at AU sustainability is about both the big and little ways we strive to leave a smaller footprint.

AU Ranks #2 (Again!) in The Princeton Review’s Green Colleges list 

For the second year in a row, American University has ranked number two in the Top 50 Green Colleges list in The Princeton Review®’s annual Guide to Green Colleges.

AU was cited particularly for having “an extraordinary record of green distinction,” including becoming carbon-neutral in 2018—two years ahead of our original 2020 target.

Read more about the ranking here.

AU Recognized as Top Performer in the 2025 Sustainable Campus Index

American University has been recognized as a Top Performer in multiple categories in the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s (AASHE) 2025 Sustainable Campus Index.

AU secured the #2 position in Top Performers in the Energy and Climate category, and the #3 position in both the Transportation and Doctoral Research Institution categories.

AU Awarded with Bicycle Friendly University Award

The League of American Bicyclists has renewed American University’s status as a bronze-level designee of its Bicycle Friendly University award for making biking a core part of campus life.

To be recognized as a Bicycle Friendly University, AU provided details on bike-related policies, programs, educational initiatives, and infrastructure—including new showers that have been installed in the Mary Graydon Student Center for bicyclists’ use.

Photo by Jeff Watts.

Student Innovation Models Bird-Friendly Design in the Hall of Science

This fall, American University students, faculty, and staff turned the Hall of Science into a safe haven for migrating birds.

What started as student-led concern over bird strikes—when birds mistake reflective windows for open sky and crash into them—grew into a collaborative project that reflects AU’s values of sustainability, innovation, and civic responsibility. Led by Biology Professor Chris Tudge, the Birders of AU, the Office of Sustainability, and dozens of student volunteers, the group applied small, patterned decals to one of the Hall of Science’s expansive glass walls. These simple markings break up reflections so birds recognize the glass as solid, which prevents deadly collisions and keeps AU’s campus a safe stopover on their long migration journeys.

Photo courtesy of the Zero Waste Office.

AU’s Zero Waste Office Gave New Life to Used Items

This September, the Zero Waste Office donated more than 200 books to DC Books to Prisons, a nonprofit that sends more than 7,000 book packages each year to people incarcerated in 600 prisons across 34 states.

In the last fiscal year, the Zero Waste Office donated or reused 42 tons of campus items—the approximate weight of an adult humpback whale. Initiatives like Project Move Out and Project Move In and the AU Surplus Furniture program have contributed to a waste diversion rate of 45 percent—up from 30 percent in 2023.

In spring 2025, the Zero Waste Office processed and donated books, toys, and art supplies from the former Child Development Center to other facilities in DC, mostly in Wards 7 and 8. The team is also in the process of donating redundant lab glassware from the Beeghly Chemistry Building to DC Public Schools for use in high school chemistry labs.

Do you have gently used books or other items you no longer need? Send an email to zerowaste@american.edu to coordinate a donation.

Go Green (and Red, and Blue)

If you’re looking for a sustainable-first college experience and campus culture, there is no other institution leading the charge like American University. Your future at AU is all about turning passion into action.