• Ball State has built the largest ground source geothermal system in the country. The system heats and cools buildings throughout the 780-acre campus, cutting our carbon footprint roughly in half and saving about $2 million a year in energy costs.
  • Ball State is among only 26 schools in the country to make The Princeton Review’s Green Honor Roll announced in 2018. Schools on this list received a perfect score of 99, covering such issues as academics, construction, food sources, and recycling. Ball State is also in the organization’s 2018 Guide to 399 Green Colleges.
  • New construction at Ball State is designed to meet LEED silver certification or better by the U.S. Green Building Council. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.
  • The university as a whole earned a STARS Gold rating from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). STARS—for Sustainability, Tracking, Assessment and Rating System—applies to the entire campus and takes into account, among many other factors, social responsibility and an institution's overall environmental stewardship.
  • Sierra magazine has consistently included Ball State among its “Cool Schools” since 2013.
  • Ball State’s commitment to sustainability has also been recognized by the National Wildlife Federation, Kiwi magazine, and the International Sustainable Campus Network, and its Council on the Environment (COTE), the longest-standing green committee in Indiana's higher education community, received a Lugar Energy Patriot Award.
  • The Center for Energy Research/Education/Service (CERES) has received awards from the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Wildlife Federation, American Institute of Architects, Sustainable Buildings Industry Council, and State of Indiana for its innovative programs and projects in environmental education.