The Bite:
Got a prospective student who wants to fill up on green college info? Read our lips: Check the best college sustainability rankings on the web before they apply (and before you kiss that hefty college fund good-bye).
Greenest Colleges
College-n Injection
10.01.2009
Submitted by tmeronek on Wed, 09/30/2009 - 11:00pm.
The Benefits:
- Plump eco-offerings. Some schools emphasize community service opportunities more than others and have LEED-certified dorms, and in many cases students won't have to travel far to access local (even campus-grown) produce.
- Putting your money where your Earth-saving mouth is. Spend your yearly tuition dollars - all approximately $6,500 of them (or, yikes, $25,000 for private tuition) - at schools that are big on eco-friendly practices, like ones that invest campus funds in more socially responsible ways than most schools.
Personally Speaking:
We've checked out the rankings and don't know what we're more jealous of - Bates's car-sharing program, Berkeley's all-organic salad bars, or Evergreen's therapeutic miles of trails and beach.
Wanna Try:
- College Sustainability Report Card - grades 300 schools in-depth, based on greenness and endowment policies. Yes, there are some Fs.
- Princeton Review - the newest list on our list: the Old Faithful of college rankings has started scoring colleges for sustainability.
- Sierra Club Cool Schools - numbered ratings on nine criteria, including food and transportation.
- EPA Green Power Partnership - list of the colleges that purchase the highest amount of renewable energy.
- Presidents' Climate Commitment - see which colleges are working toward becoming carbon neutral.
- Rodale Institute - directory of schools that have programs for the future organic farmers of America.
Cocktail Fact
Al Gore and Tommy Lee Jones were freshman roommates at Harvard.
Bang For The Bite
More students considering sustainability when choosing a school = more schools recognizing the value of going green.
Tips Like This
08.18.2009
08.20.2009
Sign Up
Sign up for free, bite-size ideas for healthy, light green living, delivered to your inbox each weekday.
Post new comment