Columbia Among Greenest Universities (Bestcolleges.com)

There are many campuses that claim to be, and no doubt are, environmentally friendly to one degree or another. Which universities and colleges stand out, though? What does a campus do to make their grounds and carbon footprint greener than the next school?

June 26, 2015

Read the full article at Best Colleges here

The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) was established in 2005 to “help coordinate and strengthen campus sustainability efforts at regional and national levels, and to serve as the first North American professional association for those interested in advancing campus sustainability.” Today, the AASHE also recognizes colleges and universities that have achieved the greatest level of success with green initiatives on-campus and within their surrounding communities. The association gauges these efforts using the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS), a voluntary system that allows different colleges and universities to report trends and track their sustainability efforts. Four different STARS ratings ― platinum, gold, silver, and bronze ― may be awarded to various establishments, companies, and organizations across the country.

This list from BestColleges.com names the 15 U.S. colleges and universities that have earned the highest STARS ratings, thereby distinguishing themselves as the nation’s greenest schools. Our goal with this list is to spotlight the schools that have launched the most impactful initiatives to reduce on-campus waste and energy consumption, promote alternative transportation, provide funding to student and faculty-led green proposals, and take other measures to benefit the environment. AASHE does not rank institutions but recognizes that STARS data may contribute to rankings done by other organizations. These rankings, as well as the methodology for evaluating and scoring, are not endorsed by AASHE.