Warren Wilson College has received yet another No. 1 ranking for its continuing efforts in campus sustainability, the latest lofty recognition coming from the National Wildlife Federation.

The college has been ranked the nation’s “Leading School for Waste Reduction and Recycling” in NWF Campus Ecology’s “Campus Environment 2008: A National Report Card on Sustainability in Higher Education.” The report notes the following about recycling/solid waste operations at Warren Wilson:

“Its recycling program began in 1981 as a one-student operation. In 1987, an Environmental Policy Class designed a Solid Waste Management Plan that… created a partnership with Buncombe County and the town of Montreat to set up the first recycling drop off centers in the county…. While the program no longer operates county recycling facilities, it has grown into a multi-faceted operation that processes trash and over 25 different recyclables.”

The ranking marks the second major recognition Warren Wilson has received in 2008 for its recycling/solid waste operations, run by a 20-student crew under the supervision of Jessica Wooten. Earlier this year, the Carolina Recycling Association, comprising both Carolinas, gave its first award for Outstanding College or University Recycling Program to Warren Wilson College.