NEWS RELEASE

NEW BRITAIN, CT – The prestigious Princeton Review is giving Central Connecticut State University a green thumbs-up for being “one of the most environmentally responsible colleges in the U.S.A. and Canada.” The well-known education services company selected CCSU for inclusion in the third annual edition of The Princeton Review’s Guide to 322 Green Colleges: 2012 Edition released today.

“CCSU has consistently earned a place at the top since The Princeton Review’s Green Colleges evaluation began three years ago, and we are very proud to be among those select colleges and universities leading the green movement on campuses across the U.S.,” said CCSU President Jack Miller in learning of the news. CCSU began its deep commitment to environmental sustainability in 2007 when President Miller became a signatory to the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment.

The Guide to 322 Green Colleges was created in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) (www.usgbc.org). The comprehensive guidebook profiles higher education institutions that demonstrate “a notable commitment to sustainability in their academic offerings, campus infrastructure, activities and career preparation.” The Princeton Review selected the schools based on a survey of administrators at hundreds of colleges polled in 2011 about their school's sustainability initiatives.

"College-bound students are increasingly interested in sustainability issues," said Robert Franek, Senior VP/Publisher, The Princeton Review. "Among 7,445 college applicants who participated in our 2012 'College Hopes & Worries Survey,' 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," he added. "Together with USGBC, we are pleased to make this free resource available to all students seeking to attend colleges that practice, teach and support environmentally-responsible choices.  To that end, we highly recommend the terrific schools in this book."

Since President Miller’s Advisory Committee on Sustainability developed a Climate Action Plan, the University has successfully undertaken a number of initiatives to move toward its goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050. Among them: a state-of-the-art Energy Center has been constructed; a new fuel cell power plant is in place; outdoor lighting has been converted to light-emitting diode lamps (LEDs), and dining services has gone trayless. On the academic side, the M.S. in geography with a specialty in global sustainability has been established, and the CCSU Global Environmental Sustainability Action Coalition organizes an annual symposium offering the public the latest research and information on a wide range of topics related to environmental sustainability.

Another measure of CCSU’s success in “going green” is the recent announcement by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that CCSU was the winner of its national 2011 Game Day Challenge -- a competition to lower the waste generated at college football games.

The Princeton Review’s Guide to 322 Green Colleges: 2012 Edition can be downloaded at www.princetonreview.com/green-guide and www.centerforgreenschools.org/greenguide

How Schools Were Chosen for the Book

The Princeton Review chose the 322 schools based on a survey it conducted in 2011 of hundreds of colleges across the U.S. and in Canada to tally its annual "Green Rating" scores (scaled from 60 to 99) of colleges for its school profiles in its college guidebooks and website. The survey asks administrators more than 50 questions about their institution's sustainability-related policies, practices and programs. The Company tallied Green Ratings for 768 institutions in summer 2011. The 322 schools in this guide received scores of 83 or above in that assessment. (Note: The Princeton Review does not rank the schools in this guide hierarchically (1 to 322) according to their Green Rating scores, nor does it include those scores in this book's school profiles.) Information about The Princeton Review’s Green Rating methodology and its "Green Honor Roll" list saluting schools that received Green Ratings of 99 is at www.princetonreview.com/green

 About The Princeton Review

The Princeton Review (Nasdaq: REVU) has been a pioneer and leader in helping students achieve their higher education goals for more than 28 years through college and graduate school test preparation and private tutoring. With more than 165 print and digital publications and a free website, www.PrincetonReview.com, the Company provides students and their parents with the resources to research, apply to, prepare for and learn how to pay for higher education. The Princeton Review partners with schools and guidance counselors throughout the U.S. to assist in college readiness, test preparation and career planning services, helping more students pursue postsecondary education. The Company also owns and operates Penn Foster Education Group, a global leader in online education. Penn Foster provides career-focused degree and vocational programs in the fields of allied health, business, technology, education and select trades through the Penn Foster High School and Penn Foster Career School (www.pennfoster.edu). The Princeton Review is not affiliated with Princeton University and not a magazine.

About the U.S. Green Building Council

The Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Green Building Council is committed to a prosperous and sustainable future for our nation through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings. With a community comprised of 79 local affiliates, 16,000 member companies and organizations, and more than 155,000 LEED Professional Credential holders, USGBC is the driving force of an industry that is projected to contribute $554 billion to the U.S. gross domestic product from 2009-2013. USGBC leads an unlikely diverse constituency of builders and environmentalists, corporations and nonprofit organizations, elected officials and concerned citizens, and teachers and students.

About the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council

The Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is how USGBC is making sure every student has the opportunity to attend a green school within this generation. From the kindergartner entering the classroom to the Ph.D. student performing research in a lab, the Center provides the resources and support to elevate dialogue, accelerate policy and institute innovation toward green schools and campuses. Thanks in part to generous support from founding sponsor United Technologies Corporation (www.utc.com), the Center works directly with staff, teachers, faculty, students, administrators, elected officials and communities to drive the transformation of all schools into sustainable places to live and learn, work and play. For more information, please visit www.centerforgreenschools.org

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