Ideal Bite

Are freshmen the greenest thing you can find on your college campus?

08.23.2007

Submitted by tmeronek on Thu, 08/23/2007 - 12:01am.

The Bite:

So transfer. But first, study up on which colleges are so eco-progressive that the frosh are the least green thing on campus.

The Benefits:

Getting more than just an education. Some schools connect you to community service opportunities, offer green-certified dorms, and even use or provide access to campus-grown produce.
Money well spent. You'll be paying back student loans for years anyway, so at least pay that average of $5,836 in tuition per year (or, eek, $22,218 for private college students) to greener administrations.
More livable campuses. Soak up the good vibes that come with a fairly paid staff, recycling program, and boards that invest campus funds in socially responsible investments.

Personally Speaking:

If the Biter team had to do it all over again, Harvard would be the place, since it has more green-certified buildings than any other university, uses renewable energy, and offers campus-wide recycling. But that's just us.

Wanna Try:

EPA Green Power Partnership - lists the colleges that purchase the highest amount of renewable energy.
National Wildlife Federation Campus Ecology Yearbook - an in-depth review of conservation programs at campuses nationwide.
The New Farm - directory of colleges that have programs for future community and organic farmers.
Presidents Climate Commitment - see which colleges are working toward becoming carbon neutral.
Sustainable Endowments Institute - grades the 100 most well-endowed colleges based on greenness and endowment policies. Yes, there are some D-minuses.

Liz Forrestal

Cocktail Fact

An IL teen raised enough money to put himself through college after he asked a Chicago Tribune columnist to request that each of the paper's readers send the kid a penny.