Tuition, location, size, academics, athletics, and more recently, commitment to sustainability? Choosing a college is a major decision. There are so many factors to weigh and so many different options. It’s tough to know what school is a good fit, but there are ways of narrowing it down, based on criteria that is important to you. In the past few years, college admissions have seen an upsurge in students now including sustainability and eco-friendliness in their criteria.
According to an article in the NY Times, in a survey of 10,300 college applicants, 63 percent responded that a college’s commitment to the environment was an important factor in their decision whether or not to go to a certain college.
Many colleges and universities across the US are greening up their campuses in order to attract eco-conscious students as well as lessen their carbon footprints. Colleges have begun initiatives to make their campus carbon-neutral by purchasing emissions credits, building eco-dorms, and encouraging their students to save water and electricity and to recycle. Clearly, these things are all great steps, but the tough part is figuring out how much of these plans come from the PR department, and which schools are actually committed to sustainable development.
Princeton Review has developed a scale rating for each of the 697 colleges on their site. The rating system, developed in partnership with ecoAmerica, is based on a scale from 60-99 that scores schools based on their “environmentally related policies, practices, and academic offerings.”
According to a press release from Princeton Review, the criterion for the ranking is based on the following.
1: whether the school’s students have a campus quality of life that is healthy and sustainable, 2: how well the school is preparing its students for employment and citizenship in a world defined by environmental challenges, and 3: the school's overall commitment to environmental issues. The institutional survey for the rating included ten questions on everything from energy use, recycling, food, buildings, and transportation to academic offerings (availability of environmental studies degrees and courses) and action plans and goals concerning greenhouse gas emission reductions.
Check out their top-rated schools on their website.
The Sustainable Endowments Institute has created their own “College Sustainability Report Card.” A bit more comprehensive than Princeton Review, The College Sustainability Report Card designed four surveys with 48 indicators to measure a school’s eco-friendliness in campus operations, dining services, endowment investment practices, and student activities. They have listed the top scoring schools on their website.
Colleges and Universities are exploring a multitude of options to make their campuses greener. Some are composting dining hall scraps to use as fertilizer for the campus, such as the College of the Atlantic in Maine where they also have their own organic farm. Other schools have built wind turbines, hydroelectric generators and solar panels. Some have converted campus transport and machinery vehicles to run on biodiesel or even leftover frying oil from the cafeterias. Clearly, a great effort is being made for schools to score good marks in sustainability. Check here for Forbes’ list of America’s Greenest Colleges, and what they’re each doing to deserve that honor.
However, it is important for the school to not only invest in sustainable power sources or recycling initiatives, but to also invest in sustainability education in the students that will become the leaders of tomorrow. The Association of University Leaders for a Sustainable Future (ULSF) created their own list of schools that have academic, research and outreach programs in place. If you’re looking for a major in human ecology or sustainable development, check their list.
It is a positive sign that changes are happening within the university communities across the country. It proves that the younger generations are truly committed to a greener future.
Source: BecauseAction.com
