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How Green Is My Quadrangle

The greening of higher education is in full swing. Sparked by societal concerns, spurred on by activist students and enabled by forward-thinking administrators, universities across the country are implementing practices and programs to reduce consumption, limit waste and change behavior.

Environmental awareness is not a recent phenomenon at Stanford. But what once was a diffuse amalgam of conservation aims has codified into a fuller institutional imperative, with new commitments of funding and staffing.

Of course, none of the measures Stanford takes toward better stewardship will effect huge environmental changes broadly; the work of the faculty at the Woods Institute for the Environment, and scores of interdisciplinary projects throughout the University, ultimately will be much more meaningful. But sustainability begins at home, and the range and variety of programs promoting it at Stanford is growing. In this issue are examples of these projects, and some of the people who have helped Stanford color the Farm a deeper shade of green.