"Only when the last tree is cut; only when the last river is polluted; only when the last fish is caught; only then will they realize that you cannot eat money." (Cree Indian Proverb)

WELCOME to UB Green, an umbrella website for University at Buffalo (UB) environmental standing activities and programs. This site is maintained in the UB Green Office of University Facilities.

UB has the environmental impact of a modest size city. Through campus environmental stewardship we can make campus operations less consuming of natural resources and less polluting of natural ecosystems. By committing ourselves to becoming a "green campus" we can better fulfill our educational mission, demonstrate environmental leadership, and set an example for the wider community. We have started on this critically important endeavor --though we have a long way to go before we achieve anything approaching genuine environmental sustainability.

In the late 1970's, UB's environmental program got underway with energy conservation and recycling. With the advent of our Environmental Task Force in 1990, the UB green campus effort accelerated and produced numerous campus environmental policies and additional green campus programs. In 1997, the UB Environment and Society Institute was organized to promote interdisciplinary environmental research designs to resolve community environmental problems. Then in 1999 the UB Green Office was created.

On June 10, 2001, New York State Governor George Pataki issued Executive Order No.111, "Directing State Agencies to be more energy efficient and environmentally aware." This Executive Order has reinforced our on-going campus environmental efforts by mandating increased energy efficiency, green building design, and green power purchases.