
Denison University in Granville, Ohio, recently committed $1 million to the Billion Dollar Green Challenge, which is open to colleges and universities across the country.
The Billion Dollar Green Challenge encourages colleges and universities to explore more energy efficient methods of operating daily. Schools are challenged to commit savings from being energy efficient to a green energy revolving fund that supports similar projects in the future.
Denison University is now one of 32 schools that have signed up for the green energy challenge. Institutions are required to commit 1 percent of their endowment over a four-year period or $1 million on energy efficient projects, of which Denison University chose the latter.
"We would be a doing a lot of (these investments) anyway," Denison University vice-president for finance and management Seth Patton said in a Granville Sentinel article. "There is a potential for significant savings in a fairly short time. We are prepared to invest a fair amount in these types of activities over the next few years."
The University has already started energy efficient projects, installing new lighting in residence halls worth $400,000, for which savings are expected to be more than $65,000.
Denison University is a liberal arts college with more than 2,000 undergraduates enrolled and a $585 million endowment, according to the school's website.

