Green LMU

Loyola Marymount University is a leader in its commitment to green-friendly practices and to creating a culture of sustainability through education, measurement and action. Most recently, Robert B. Lawton, S.J., president of LMU, created an Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability Committee that will lay the foundation for the university's campus-wide green-friendly efforts.

Current green-friendly efforts at LMU include:

• The university recycles treated waste water in its irrigation system, uses low-water consuming toilets and washers and developed the first university-wide recycling program in 1990.
• All of the university’s green waste is recycled, and LMU was the first college campus to recycle 50 percent of all its generated solid waste.
• LMU has the largest solar roof system of any university in the world.
• More than 70 percent of LMU’s sprinklers are controlled by a central irrigation system that responds automatically to local weather conditions.

Not only is going green consistent with LMU’s mission, it is also has proven to be a sound business practice. For example, by using on-site solar generation, LMU has been able to effectively integrate solar electricity into its energy mix, thereby lowering operating costs and reducing purchases of expensive peak electricity. In addition to generating electricity, the solar roof system provides thermal insulation and protects the roof from weather and UV radiation, resulting in decreased heating and cooling energy costs and extended roof life. The solar roof system saves the university more than $150,000 a year.