Greening the campus of ACU creates a butterfly effect that ultimately will change the world, as the university likes to do, by improving the local environment.

Environmentalism in is en vogue with American schools, and the university has duly noticed and joined the movement.

Some of ACU’s environmental initiatives include conserving water by using effluent water for irrigation and installing water- saving shower heads, and updating the outdoor lighting by using energy efficient metal halide. Also, the university recycles plastic and paper, switching from gasoline or diesel operated vehicles to electric carts and recycling the asphalt of parking lots.

ACU’s efforts have not gone unnoticed. The university won the 2006-2007 Keep Abilene Beautiful Donna Albus Beautification Award by creating both an environmentally friendly and visually appealing campus.

Albus served as director of the Keep Abilene Clean and Proud from 1981 to 1987 and was the president of the Keep Texas Board in 2002. “There is absolutely nothing more economically beneficial than a clean and beautiful site, and that is what the ACU campus has done for our entire city,” Albus said.

Make no mistake, the trees produce more than simply oxygen – they give the school a better reputation in the community. Greening a school produces jobs, improves the environment on the campus and saves money, according to a report by greenbiz.com, a project affiliated with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Greenbiz.com says green schools use 33 percent less energy and 32 percent less water.

By switching to sustainable resources from conventional methods, ACU has shown good stewardship. Replacement of heating, ventilation and air conditioning saves 3.6 million kilowatt hours of electricity. The recycled water saves an excess of 85 million gallons of fresh water annually. The list of sustainable methods continues at ACU’s Web site.

Adding green to the Purple and White is a win-win for ACU.