University of Miami School of Business

In 2019, the School embraced LEED—the green building certification program that recognizes best-in-class building strategies and practices to reduce energy and create healthier spaces for occupants—and was awarded gold certification. In the same year, the School launched the nation’s first STEM-certified Master of Science in Sustainable Business.

This year’s platinum certification was achieved by implementing practical and measurable strategies and solutions in areas including water savings, energy efficiency, waste reduction, and indoor environmental quality. 

This accomplishment notes significant performance highlights of the 163,885 square-foot facility that has been expanded on since its original 1982 opening date. Notable O+M highlights and accomplishments include:

• Participation in FPL’s SolarTogether program, a community solar program, helped in lowering greenhouse gas emissions by 604 metric tons of CO2e compared to 2019 levels.
• Prioritizing waste reduction efforts. An average of 54% of waste is sent to recycling, recovery, or reuse facilities.
• Reduced total water use by 74,000 gallons compared to 2019 levels. Energy conservation efforts led to reduced cumulative energy use by 1.09M kBtu (kilo-British thermal unit) compared to 2019 levels.
• Above global and local averages for indoor environmental quality, which consisted of indoor air-quality tests conducted throughout all occupied spaces in the building to quantify levels of formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, and other harmful chemicals.