Going Green at School

Recently the Princeton Review released a list of the 15 most eco-friendly universities in the country. These schools received a rating of 99, the highest possible score. In order to reach these perfect scores, the universities were evaluated upon specific criteria. They received perfect marks in their goals and actions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, their energy use, recycling programs they have established, food and transportation services, as well as courses and degrees with an environmental focus.

Among the 15 are:
College of the Atlantic-Bar Harbor, ME: With only one major, Human Ecology, students learn how humans relate to their environment. At a net-zero for carbon emissions, which they have been since 2007, their electricity comes from renewable hydropower and new buildings are heated with renewable wood pellets.

Dickinson College-Carlisle, PA: Their four dining facilities offer a variety of vegetarian, vegan, fair trade, and organically-certified food options. Students also collect fryer oil to produce 1,500 gallons of biodiesel annually for use in various college equipment and vehicles, and the college is committed to meeting LEED Silver requirements as a minimum standard for all new construction projects.

University of California–Berkeley: Known as the “hippie school” in northern California, Berkley will reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 2014 to levels last seen in 1990. The school offers more than 80 academic degrees, 90 research centers, and 25 student-run organizations with an environmental focus. Student projects have reduced energy consumption by over 8.5 million kWh and water usage by 3 million gallons. UC Berkeley publicly reports its sustainability statistics each year.

Harvard College-Cambridge, MA: This Ivy League is dedicated to handling the challenges of climate change and global sustainability through academic research and putting that research into operation on campus. Harvard now has 62 building projects on their way toward achieving LEED certification, a 55% recycling rate (compared to the 32.1% the US has as a whole), renewable energy projects on campus, organic landscaping in Harvard Yard, and a drive-alone rate of only 16.5%. These commitments are administered through the Harvard Office for Sustainability.

The other schools include:
Arizona University, Tempe
Bates College-Lewiston, ME
Colorado College-Springs, CO
The Evergreen State College-Olympia, WA
Georgia Institute of Technology-Atlanta, GA
Middlebury College-Middlebury, VT
Northeastern University-Boston, MA
State University of New York at Binghamton
University of New Hampshire-Durham, NH
University of Washington-Seattle, WA
Yale-New Haven, CT