Academics aren’t the only thing Binghamton University is known for: Sustainability efforts on campus are also gaining national recognition.

The Sierra Club, one of the nation’s largest environmental organizations, recently named BU one of 2015’s “Cool Schools,” a ranking of universities across the United States with the best ecological footprints.

Over 150 schools participated in the Sierra Club’s questionnaire about sustainability practices in categories such as transportation, waste disposal, use of food, energy, water and investments in sustainable industries. BU was ranked number 143.

Sustainability is a focus in many departments across the University, according to James Ruoff, the resident district manager of Sodexo dining services. He said food and dining operations are constantly looking for ways to be more eco-friendly.

Currently, Sodexo is looking for different containers that are recyclable and can be composted. The use of refillable cups in the Marketplace has saved over 40,000 disposable cups in the past year, said Ruoff.

“One issue I would like to see improved is keeping these disposables out of the normal waste streams and getting them into either our compost or recycling program,” Ruoff said.

For Allison Schick, an undeclared freshman, sustainability was an important factor in choosing where she would attend college.

“I think it’s great that we’re a green campus,” Schick said. “I want to live in a place that respects the environment and takes care of it.”

According to Karen Fennie, the communications specialist for physical facilities, there are many ongoing projects to improve BU’s sustainability. Some of those projects include the development of more efficient energy management systems. BU’s central heating plant is trying to reduce pollution, with the goal to stop burning coal by 2017.

In addition, BU received 25 recycling bins earlier this year designed specifically for placement at the Events Center as part of a national recycling bin grant from Keep America Beautiful and The Coca-Cola Foundation. BU was one of 37 colleges and universities across the United States to receive this grant.

For some students like Jenny Yang, a junior majoring in accounting, the school’s green efforts are good, but many have no idea these changes are going on.

“I personally didn’t even know we were put on a green campus list,” Yang said. “Learning about this [list] was new to me. It’s good to know that the school is taking initiatives to make it a greener campus.”

For Yang, awareness plays a large part in improving the sustainability of campus.

“Not a lot of people know about these [initiatives],” Yang said. “Just promoting them in general would be a good step to take.”

Marvin Phattanachitcho, a senior majoring in computer engineering, said he was unaware that BU was a leading campus in sustainability.

“I’m the kind of person that tries to recycle,” he said. “You don’t want to destroy the planet, so you try to maintain it. And I love to see how campuses are doing this right now.”