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BANG FOR THE BITE
More students considering sustainability when choosing a school = more schools recognizing the value of going green.
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.
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home › tip library › Green Colleges
Are freshmen the greenest thing you can find on your college campus?
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.
Aug 23,2007
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All editorial suggestions in this tip are the result of testing and a preference for the tip topic. No advertiser has paid to have its company referenced in the tip. For more information, please read our Editorial Policy.
Tricky Question
The college I went to was pretty green. The administration paid to remove invasive English ivy from the lake on campus, there were recycling bins in all the dorms, and the cafeteria even offered a vegan option at each meal. But do those things qualify it as one of the greenest?
Recently, there’s been a commotion in academia surrounding the US News and World Reports college rankings – and I think any green rankings that come out could be similarly controversial. How do you decide what counts for more “points”: invasive species removal or a recycling program?
The brave ones at the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education are gonna have a go at answering that question. And I'm so glad I'm not them right now.
-Toshio...off to relish never having to take another biology final again...
Recently, there’s been a commotion in academia surrounding the US News and World Reports college rankings – and I think any green rankings that come out could be similarly controversial. How do you decide what counts for more “points”: invasive species removal or a recycling program?
The brave ones at the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education are gonna have a go at answering that question. And I'm so glad I'm not them right now.
-Toshio...off to relish never having to take another biology final again...
Biter Comments...
Even better than choosing a green school?: converting an "un"green school to more environmentally sound practices. Join the student council or other student "action" groups. Use the links ideal bite provided for greening ideas.
This is kind of a nonsense tip. If you're going for a fairly generic degree then you can go to any school. However if your going for a more specific degree then schools are built around different schools and you can't just switch. If you're restricted to your state system because of costs then you're even more restricted. U.C. Berkeley is probably not one of the best places to study Pre-Medicine or Veterinary Sciences.
Getting students to work on "greening" up their current schools would be better advace than giving them transfer tips.
Yale is taking sustainability very seriously, with a commitment to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by the year 2020.
Academically, it also has Yale Center of Environmental Law and Policy, as well as a program that combines its School of Architecture with the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.
College students can join a network of thousands of other youth working to green their campus by joining the Campus Climate Challenge. This campaign is a youth-led initiative, supported by the Energy Action Coalition, a network of over 37 organizations working on environmental and climate justice issues. Hundreds of campuses are signed on, and it's really the most exciting massive youth movement out there to stop climate change. They also have a cool blog (http://itsgettinghotinhere.org). Check it out!
I suggest Making A Difference Colleges, now in it's 10th edition from SageWorks Press. Focuses on colleges with long time commitments to the environment, peace and social justice. Colleges that have been walking their talk - where students who care passionately about the environment are in the mainstream of the student body, and have supportive faculty and administration.
(http//:www.making-a-difference.com)
PHOTO ALBUMS
Posted by: Camilla Field | August 23, 2007 at 02:05 AM