page_title: University of South Florida
section_title: Sustainability
hierarchical_section_title: University of South Florida / Research / Sustainability
caption_attribution_description: English: Engineering complex at the University of South Florida.
context_page_description: The University of South Florida is a public research university in Tampa, Florida. It is a member institution of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1956, USF is the fourth-largest public university in the state of Florida, with an enrollment of 50,927 as of the 2019–2020 academic year. Previously identified as a university system, USF has three campus locations: Tampa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee. The university is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. USF is home to 14 colleges, offering more than 180 undergraduate majors, graduate, specialist, and doctoral-level degree programs.
  USF is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity". In its 2011 ranking, the Intellectual Property Owners Association placed USF 10th among all universities worldwide in the number of US patents granted. The university has an annual budget of $1.5 billion and an annual economic impact of over $3.7 billion. According to the National Science Foundation, USF spent $581 million on research and development in 2018, ranking it 43rd in the nation.
context_section_description: USF was given a gold rating by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education for building an environmentally-conscious campus. In 2010, the USF School of Global Sustainability was created. In 2012, the new Patel College of Global Sustainability, consisting of the Dr. Kiran C. Patel Center for Global Solutions, the Master of the Arts in Global Sustainability Program, and the Office of Sustainability, was introduced. The college is housed in the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design GOLD certified building on the USF Tampa campus.
  USF signed the American College and University President's Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) in 2008 and submitted its Climate Action Plan in 2010 with a goal of a 10 percent reduction in carbon emissions by 2015. Since then, the university has introduced several sustainability initiatives, including electric vehicle charging stations, water bottle filling stations, reusable plastic food containers in dining halls, recycling programs in residence halls, a biodiesel-fueled fare-free campus bus service, solar-powered golf carts, and more. In 2011, the university introduced the Student Green Energy Fund, which allows students to propose and vote on projects that aim to reduce campus energy consumption, lower green house gas emissions, and promote sustainable technologies.
caption: Engineering buildings at USF.
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