̽̽ ranked 13th in the 2023 edition of the Guide to Green Colleges published annually by The Princeton Review. Released late last month, the guide is a widely read resource for college applicants seeking schools with strong commitments to the environment in their campus policies, programs and practices. This year the publication reviewed 455 colleges.
“̽̽ is a place that strives to uphold its long-held commitment to sustainability in its curriculum and operations,” said Elizabeth Palchak, director of the Office of Sustainability at ̽̽. “We take this commitment seriously, as do our students and we’re honored to be recognized for our leadership. We also realize that we must continue to lead. We are developing a comprehensive plan to further address a range of sustainability issues and setting university-wide goals for more sustainable operations. In addition, our outstanding faculty contributes to world class academics and sustainability research that prepares students to work on the most important issues our time.”
The Princeton Review announcement comes at a time when the university is planning broad new measures to reduce its carbon footprint. ̽̽’s proposed campus plan for 2022-2023 emphasizes energy efficiency in new construction and in existing buildings, and thoughtful integration of open spaces on campus with the built environment. The university is also preparing to announce a new Comprehensive Sustainability Plan (CSP) which will outline short- and long-term goals in the areas of decarbonization, governance and people, operations, and research and learning.
Meanwhile, ̽̽ continues to gain national recognition for on-campus student programs that demonstrate commitment to sustainability. The university landed on the list by the Post-Landfill Action Network (PLAN) zero waste certification program. PLAN praised ̽̽ for management of campus recycling and compost collection, the EcoWare reusable to-go container program and “Techno Trash” recycling. The university was also named by The League of American Bicyclists in recognition of the institution’s achievements in promoting and enabling safe, accessible bicycling on campus.
The Princeton Review chose the schools for the guide and its ranking list based on data from the company’s surveys of administrators at 713 colleges during the 2021–22 academic year and surveys of students attending the colleges.
"Since we debuted this project 13 years ago, we have seen an increasing interest among college applicants in attending colleges that are committed to the environment and to green practices,” said Rob Franek, Editor in Chief of The Princeton Review. He noted that of 10,400 college applicants participating in a recent survey conducted by the organization, an overwhelming majority—77%—said information about a college's commitment to the environment would affect their decision to apply to or attend the school.