Elon’s commitment to sustainability has earned the university the distinction of being named one of the “greenest” schools in the country. The university’s profile is included in The Princeton Review's Guide to 286 Green Colleges, which was released April 20 and profiles the nation’s most environmentally-responsible campuses.
The guide used several criteria in the assessment, including commitment to the LEED green building certification program; environmental literacy programs; formal sustainability committees; use of renewable energy resources and recycling and conservation programs.
With a rating of 94, The Princeton Review commended Elon for “making good on its mission statement” to prepare students to be global citizens and informed leaders motivated by concern for the common good. The guide praised Elon’s Eco-Reps peer education program for raising awareness of environmental issues and noted the benefits of the university’s community garden and institututional commitment to environmental awareness events such as Campus Sustainability Day, POWERless, Earth Week and RecycleMania.
“Our research has shown that students and their parents are becoming more and more interested in learning about and attending universities and colleges that practice, teach and support environmental responsibility,” said Robert Franek, senior vice president and publisher, The Princeton Review.
Princeton Review produced the guide in partnership with the United States Green Building Council, a national nonprofit organization that promotes sustainability in the design and construction of buildings.
Read more about the ranking in USA Today’s April 21 article by clicking the link to the right. Elon’s full profile is also available in the sidebar.