The Princeton Review, provider of education and test-preparation services, in collaboration with the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), recently released the third edition of its annual free guide to environmentally responsible colleges.
“The Princeton Review’s Guide to 322 Green Colleges: 2012 Edition” profiles institutions of higher education in the United States and Canada demonstrating notable commitments to sustainability in their academic offerings, campus infrastructure, activities, and career preparation.
“College-bound students are increasingly interested in sustainability issues,” Robert Franek, senior vice president/publisher, The Princeton Review, said. “Among 7,445 college applicants who participated in our 2012 ‘College Hopes & Worries Survey,’ nearly 7 out of 10 (68 percent) told us that having information about a school’s commitment to the environment would influence their decision to apply to or attend the school.”
According to Rachel Gutter, director of the Center for Green Schools at the USGBC, “During their college search, prospective students and their parents have a combined buying power of at least $464 billion.”
In 2011, The Princeton Review surveyed 768 colleges across the United States and Canada, asking administrators more than 50 questions about their institution’s sustainability-related policies, practices, and programs. Scores scaled from 60 to 99 were tallied. The 322 schools featured in this year’s guide received scores of 83 or above, with 16 receiving a rating of 99: American University, Washington, D.C.; Arizona State University, Tempe, Ariz.; Binghamton University, State University of New York, Binghamton, N.Y.; College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine; Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pa.; Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta; Harvard College, Cambridge, Mass.; Northeastern University, Boston; Oregon State University, Corvallis, Ore.; San Francisco State University, San Francisco; University of California–Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, Calif.; The University of Maine, Orono, Maine; University of Washington, Seattle; University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point, Stevens Point, Wis.; Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg Va.; and Warren Wilson College, Asheville, N.C.
The 232-page book, developed with support from United Technologies Corp., can be downloaded here and here.