A new database assembled by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education and the Sustainable Endowments Institute shows that 80 colleges have more than $118-million in revolving-loan money available for small—and sometimes large—projects aimed at improving energy efficiency on their campuses.
Amounts in the funds range from $13-million in the University of Vermont Energy Revolving Fund to $11,560 in the Bucknell University Green Fund.
“The revolving funds captured in this database provide great examples of a sustainable technique for funding sustainability projects,” said the association’s executive director, Paul Rowland, in a written statement that also calls higher education “a leading sector for energy-efficiency investments.” The statement notes that the number of revolving funds has tripled since 2009.
