The Princeton Review’s “Green Rating” is a numerical score from 60 – 99 that’s based on several data points. In 2008, The Princeton Review began collaborating with US Green Building Council to help make the Green Rating survey questions as comprehensive and inclusive as possible. Of 697 schools that The Princeton Review gave “Green Ratings” to in 2009, the 286 schools in the Guide received scores in the 80th or higher percentile.
And here is what Princeton Review says about Central:
GREEN HIGHLIGHTS
In 2007, Central Connecticut State University became a charter member of the ACUPCC, and stands apart as the only school in Connecticut to meet all of its deadlines for the ACUPCC. The president has himself named sustainability as one of the top four priorities for the university.
One measure that Central has been working hard at is reducing its greenhouse gas emissions. The university has set an ambitious goal to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent from 2008 levels by the year 2025. The school now has restricted parking to encourage people to carpool, and offers special carpool parking to reduce the number of individual drivers that are on the road. Already, the university has converted approximately 26 percent of student trips to alternative forms of transportation.
Other areas of emphasis are waste reduction, recycling, and environmentally responsible procurement policies. To that end, Central participates in RecycleMania, and has a policy to include environmental performance requirements in its contracts with suppliers, including paper, office supplies, landscaping, building materials, and equipment. Because of this effort, now 100 percent of the cleaning supplies purchased at Central are Green Seal-certified.
Helping these strides forward are new on-campus educational offerings and programs about sustainable practices and how to decrease dependence on fossil fuels. The School of Business’ Summer Institute for Sustainability is especially noteworthy, and brings together researchers and business leaders to discuss ways to implement more sustainable business practices and policies.
Princeton Review Gives Central "Green" Thumbs-Up!
New Britain, CT – With Earth Day just around the corner, Central Connecticut State University has been selected as an “exemplary Green institution” by the Princeton Review, in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council.
The Princeton Review’s Guide to 286 Green Colleges, released today, is its first guidebook focused on higher education institutions that have demonstrated “an above average commitment to sustainability” in terms of campus infrastructure, activities and initiatives.
The new publication was inspired by a 2009 survey of nearly 16,000 college applicants and their parents. The Princeton Review found that 66 percent of them would “value” having information about a college’s commitment to the environment, and 24 percent said the information would “very much impact” their decision to apply to or attend the school.
Central has made significant advances in sustainability. In August 2007, President Jack Miller signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) to achieve climate neutrality, and then appointed the President’s Advisory Committee on Sustainability, consisting of faculty, staff and students.
The Review credits Central with being the “only school in Connecticut to meet all of its deadlines for the ACUPCC,” and President Miller is applauded for naming sustainability as “one of the top four priorities of the university.”
The Review also highlights what it describes as an “ambitious goal” to reduce by 50 percent Central’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2025. Other Green improvements cited are: campus parking has been restricted to encourage carpooling, carpoolers are offered special parking, a solid waste and recycling plan has been implemented, as have been environmentally responsible procurement policies. In fact, 100 percent of the cleaning supplies purchased by Central are Green Seal-certified. On the academic side, Central offers an environmental studies degree.
Click here for The Princeton Review Guide to 286 Green Colleges