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Princeton Review Again Ranks ESF No. 2 among Nation’s ‘Green Colleges’
The College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) is again No. 2 among the nation's "green colleges," according to The Princeton Review.
The college received the designation when The Princeton Review published the 2017 edition of its book,The Princeton Review Guide to 375 Green Colleges.
It is the second such ranking ESF has received recently. In September, the college was ranked No. 4 on Sierra Magazine's "Cool Schools" list for 2017. The schools on that list were described as "working hardest to protect the planet."
The Princeton Review chose the schools for this eighth annual edition of its "green guide" based on data from the company's 2016-17 survey of hundreds of four-year colleges concerning the schools' commitments to the environment and sustainability.
The "Top 50 Green Colleges" ranking list was tallied using data from The Princeton Review's institutional survey and its surveys of students at the 375 colleges in the book.
"We strongly recommend ESF and the other fine colleges in this guide to the many environmentally-minded students who seek to study and live at green colleges," said The Princeton Review's Robert Franek, senior vice president and publisher.
Franek noted the growing interest the company has seen among college-bound students in green colleges. "Among more than 10,000 teens and parents who participated in our 2016 College Hopes & Worries Survey, 61 percent told us that having information about a school's commitment to the environment would influence their decision to apply to or attend the college."
The profiles inThe Princeton Review's Guide to 375 Green Colleges provide information about each school's admission requirements, cost and financial aid, and student body stats. They also include "Green Facts" about the schools with details on the availability of transportation alternatives at the schools and the percentage of the schools' food budgets spent on local/organic food.
In listing "Green Facts about ESF," The Princeton Review calls attention to ESF's:
' available transportation alternatives (bicycle-sharing program; bike storage, shower facilities and lockers for bicycle commuters; a bicycle plan)
' the percentage of the food budget spent on local/organic food
' the existence of a formal sustainability committee
' the availability of a sustainability-focused degree
' the percentage of graduates who took a sustainability-related course (100)
' the existence of a public greenhouse gas inventory plan
' the employment of a sustainability officer
How Schools Were Chosen for the Guide: The Princeton Review chose the colleges based on "Green Rating" scores (from 60 to 99) that the company tallied in summer 2017 for 629 colleges using data from its 2016-17 survey of school administrators. The survey asked them to report on their school's sustainability-related policies, practices, and programs. More than 25 data points were weighted in the assessment. Schools with Green Rating scores of 80 or higher made it into this guide. Most of the schools (362) in this edition are in the United States. Twelve are in Canada. One is in Egypt.
How the Top 50 Green Colleges List Was Done: The Princeton Review developed the ranking list using data from its institutional survey for its Green Rating and its surveys of students attending the colleges. Ten data points from the institutional survey were factored into the assessment. Data from the student survey included student ratings of how sustainability issues influenced their education and life on campus; administration and student support for environmental awareness and conservation efforts; and the visibility and impact of student environmental groups.