Top Green Colleges and Universities Revealed

The 10^th annual Guide to Green Colleges from The Princeton Review named College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine, the top green school. This is the fourth year in a row the liberal arts college was ranked first. College of the Atlantic was the first educational institution in the United States specifically founded to focus on the relationship between humans and the environment. In 2007, it became the first carbon-neutral college in the country and has committed to becoming a fossil fuel-free campus by 2030.

The annual review ranks schools on their academic offerings and campus policies and practices, as well as green-career preparation for students. Among the 50 schools on the list:

• 22% make their food purchases from local and/or organic sources
• 50% divert their waste from incinerators or solid-waste landfills
• 98% offer a sustainability-focused undergraduate major or degree
• 100% have a sustainability officer.

In addition to College of the Atlantic, the other top ten schools include:

• State University of New York—College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Albany, New York
• Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania
• University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont
• St. Mary’s College of Maryland, St. Mary’s City, Maryland
• Chatham University, Pittsburgh
• Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine
• Colby College, Waterville, Maine
• Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
• Stanford University, Stanford, California.

From figuring out where most of their garbage originates to finding a solution for disposing of it, university staff and students have been at the forefront of new green and sustainable initiatives. Read about the challenges and successes three universities have encountered on their path to sustainability and zero waste.