The Princeton Review to rank sustainability practices of colleges
A ‘green rating’ will grade colleges on sustainability practices.
May 2, 2008
Beginning this year, The Princeton Review will add a “green rating” to 600 college profiles in its annual college guides.
The Princeton Review spokeswoman Harriet Brand said the “green rating” measures how well schools are using their environmental practices to deliver a better campus experience and to prepare students to succeed in their future careers.
The rating criteria includes how environmentally responsible a school’s policies are, whether students have a quality of life on campus that is both healthy and sustainable and how well a school is preparing its students for employment and for citizenship in a world defined by environmental challenges.
The data for the rating is based entirely on the 2007-2008 academic year.
“The rating is a numerical score on a scale of 60 to 99, which is similar to other numerical ratings in the Review’s school profiles,” Brand said.
ecoAmerica, a nonprofit research and partnership-based environmental organization, helped formulate the rating’s criteria and data collection survey.
“We shared a commitment to helping students find colleges that will promote learning opportunities and lifestyle choices that will sustain our environment,” Brand said.
Among the 10,300 college applicants and parents of applicants The Princeton Review surveyed for its annual “College Hopes & Worries Survey,” 63 percent would value having information about a college’s commitment to the environment and that it would impact their decision to apply or attend the school.
The survey developed by ecoAmerica included 28 questions about topics such as recycling, food sources, building issues and transportation alternatives, among others.
The Princeton Review’s annual college guide is based entirely on data collected by 120,000 college students at 366 of the nation’s top schools, she said.
The “green rating” will be added to a list of over 65 different topical rankings including campus dining, residence hall conditions and quality of athletic programs.
Environmental Health and Safety Director Peter Ashbrook said everyone should practice green solutions.
“Everyone and every business should try to be green, and that includes colleges,” he said.
Challenges for schools include finding green solutions that are cost effective and determining whether the benefits of pursuing more expensive but “greener” practices are worth the cost.
Currently, MU provides sustainability information in campus publications such as Mizzou Weekly, Ashbrook said.
“Various campus departments such as Residential Life, Energy Management and Landscape Services have ways of promoting sustainable practices to students,” he said.
Much of the academic promotion comes from the office of environmental studies.
Sustain Mizzou President Ben Datema said education is a primary focus of the organization.
The reasons for colleges to implement eco-friendly solutions include financial benefits, educational value, public relations value, research and improved health.
He said the new “green rating” reflects how important environmental sustainability has become in modern American culture.
“This is an issue that prospective students take into account when choosing which institution they will attend to further their education,” Datema said. “It’s a step in the right direction.”
The Princeton Review’s annual college guidebook is scheduled for release July 29.
More May 2, 2008 News Stories
- MSA releases safety report — Most immediate concerns were related to Campus Facilities.
- Condom funding passes Senate — The Missouri Students Association Senate took its show outside Wednesday, holding its meeting in the amphitheater near Plaza 900 instead ...
- Greektown safety inspected on walk — Greek students and MSA members walked through Greektown and Frat Row on Tuesday night for the first Missouri Students Association ...
- JSO remembers Holocaust — In observance of National Holocaust Remembrance Day, which is April 27, the Jewish Student Organization held several events and observation ...
- Legislature approves MOHELA expansion — The Missouri House and Senate have both approved a plan to allow the state’s student loan agency to originate federally ...
Most recent News Stories
- Curators approve new health sciences degree — The program will target incoming health professions students.
- MU to stop accepting applications for fall — Citing already-high numbers of freshman enrollment, Chancellor Brady Deaton announced today that MU will not accept freshman applications for the ...
- Two apartment complexes to offer MU student housing — Due to an especially large freshman class, the Department of Residential Life will enter into a contract with Campus View ...
- ASUM victorious with student vote — The student representative would get a vote if Missouri loses a congressional district in 2010.
- Ellis patron arrested Monday — Patron suspected of viewing illicit material.