8 SUNY Campuses Named for Top “Green Ratings”

As the nation gears up to celebrate Earth Day on April 22, SUNY is once again recognized for its outstanding commitment to environmental conservation.  The Princeton Review, in collaboration with the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), this week salutes eight SUNY campuses among the 230 most environmentally responsible “green colleges” in the United States and Canada.

“SUNY’s commitment to an energy-smart New York and to sustainability throughout our system is a critical component of our strategic plan, one that our campuses have widely embraced and consistently shown leadership on,” said SUNY Chancellor Zimpher. “Congratulations to the eight SUNY campuses listed in the 2013 Guide to Green Colleges. This recognition is much deserved and highly commendable.”

The eight campuses named show due diligence in their environmental efforts day after day:

• SUNY Oneonta
• SUNY New Paltz
• SUNY Potsdam
• University at Albany
• Binghamton University
• SUNY Geneseo
• Stony Brook University
• College of Environmental Science and Forestry

It is no surprise that SUNY is well-represented in the rankings.  The largest higher education system in the nation is a model of research, health, financial, and educational progress.  From UAlbany’s commitment to recycle thousands of pounds of materials to UB’s eco-smart design of its Buffalo-Niagara Medical Campus to SUNY New Paltz’s Solar Car Race Team, the Power of SUNY is felt far beyond New York.

The “Green Ratings” of colleges are determined using a measure of how environmentally friendly the institutions are on a scale of 60 to 99.  The Princeton Review tallied the rating for 806 institutions based on its institutional surveys of colleges in 2011-12 concerning their environmentally related practices, policies and academic offerings.

The Princeton Review notes that for students who want to be equipped to join the emerging green market, it means attending a college that offers a green education. Schools that score well on the Green Rating have courses that help students understand their way around renewable energy, organic agriculture and the tools for developing smart, efficient products.  The company continues to highlight advantages, including at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF):

Not only do green colleges provide great courses, they also have undergrads involved in top-notch research. Students at SUNY ESF get to participate in projects such as the development of the state’s first wood ethanol biorefinery, which produces renewable fuel and biodegradable plastics from wood

The rankings are outlined in a 215-page downloadable book, which The Princeton Review highlights as “the only free, comprehensive, annual guide to green colleges”.  The publisher adds that this year’s guide “was developed with generous support from United Technologies Corp., founding sponsor of the Center for Green Schools.”