Top 10 greenest universities in the U.S., 2013 edition (photos)

American University is aiming to be carbon neutral by the end of the decade, a goal that the impressed Sierra Club. So far, the college has installed a 27-kilowatt solar array, D.C.'s biggest solar hot-water system and uses a contraption that turns old cooking old into electricity.  About 30 of the university's buildings are on track for LEED Silver certification and a new campus-wide composting program has reduced its waste by 66 percent.

Photo:American University/Jeff Watts

This 440-acre campus has managed to keep its carbon footprint in check in spite of its growth. All infrastructure built after 2008 is LEED certified and a 1.4-million-gallon stormwater cistern helps conserve water. The EPA even named Georgia Tech one of the best places for commuters for its wide swath of eco-transit options.

Photo: Georgia Tech

The university has raised $430 million for its Initiative on the Environment and Sustainability. Part of those funds will go towards a new energy facility that aims to halve the 8,180-acre campus' carbon emissions and cut its water use by nearly a fifth.

This month, students installed rows of thin-film solar panels on its Stanford Start.Home project, the college's entry in this year's Solar Decathlon (pictured).

Photo: Stanford University

The heart of this small liberal arts school is an environmental mission. The college offers a 37-credit environmental liberal arts program, which all students complete. The college has a $5.8 million biomass plant that burns locally sourced woodchips to heat 85 percent and power 20 percent of its buildings.

Photo: Green Mountain College

The university has developed a plan for sustainability to be a guiding principle in all campus operations and specifically for its climate action plan. Cornell has pledged to become a net-zero carbon campus by 2050 and the university has set up a series of sustainable campus focus teams covering buildings, energy, food, land and waste, among others. The university has managed to add more than 1 million square feet of new construction without using additional power. The Human Ecology building (pictured) was the first building on the Cornell campus to achieve LEED Platinum certified.

Photo: Cornell University

This college, known for its environmental sciences, shines when it comes to its sustainable-focused curriculum, its waste reduction methods and water use. UC Davis, home to the nation's largest planned zero-net energy community, topped Sierra magazine's list last year.

Photo: UC Davis

The college has committed to minimizing its ecological footprint by reducing emissions, cutting electricity use and requiring all new buildings to meet at least the LEED Silver certification. The college offers a guide to sustainable transportation to help connect students find convenient and eco-friendly ways to get around.

Photo: University of California, Irvine

Dickinson received high marks from the Sierra Club for its sustainably-focus instruction and research opportunities as well asco-curricular offerings such as the biodiesel fuel program and Eco-Reps, a peer-to-peer student program that encourages sustainable campus living.

The school also generates enough wind power to offset all electrical needs, converts cooking grease into biodiesel fuel and serves student-grown veggies in the cafeteria.

Photo: Dickinson College

The Sierra Club name the University of Connecticut the "coolest school" for its sweeping efforts to encourage sustainability and green technology. The university offers more than 600 classes related to sustainability, it has reduced its water use by 15 percent since 2005 and serves locally sourced food in its dining facilities. This year, UCoon opened its reclaimed water facility, capable of treating up to 1 million gallons of wastewater each day for use at the on-campus power plant.

The university also topped the GreenMetric World Ranking.

Photo: University of Connecticut