Clark University is one of the most environmentally responsible colleges in the U.S. and Canada, according to The Princeton Review. The university is included in the education service company’s just-released 2015 edition of “The Princeton Review Guide to 353 Green Colleges.”
Published just days before the April 22, 2015 celebration of Earth Day, the free guide can be downloaded here.
The Princeton Review chose the schools for this sixth annual edition of its “green guide” based on data from the company’s 2014 survey of hundreds of four-year colleges concerning the schools’ commitments to the environment and sustainability.
“It is gratifying that Clark is once again featured in Princeton Review’s Guide to Green Colleges, as we have been since its first publication,” says Jenny Isler, Clark’s Sustainability Coordinator. “Clark certainly epitomizes what it means to be a ‘green school’: we highlight sustainability education in our undergraduate and graduate programs; we continuously add green features in our buildings and landscape; we are proud of our many sustainability initiatives and practices.”
The profiles in The Princeton Review’s Guide to 353 Green Colleges provide information about each school’s admission requirements, cost and financial aid, and student body stats. They also include “Green Facts” about the schools with details on the availability of transportation alternatives at the schools and the percentage of the school food budgets spent on local/organic food.
Isler notes, “Sustainability is our culture at Clark; it is how we do things and who we are. Our core values of stewardship, innovation and inquiry empower students to make real and lasting change happen on and off campus. I call it the ‘green beating heart of Clark,’ and I am proud to know we are once again recognized at this level.”
In its profile of Clark University, the guide highlights Clark’s “bold” Climate Action Plan, which sets a goal of zero emissions by 2030. Also noted are green campus features that started with student initiatives, such as the co-generation plant (which provides heat and power to 70 percent of campus); the student Recycling Crew and its 50 percent waste diversion rate; the composting program, which composts 100 percent of food and paper waste in the Higgins Café; and the Community Thrift Store. “These green features are matched by an institutional commitment to sustainability guided by the Environmental Task Force and Sustainable Clark. Recent capital investments to improve energy and water efficiency throughout campus, such as motion sensors and dual flush toilets, are on track to exceed projected savings,” the guide states.
The Princeton Review first published this guide in 2010. Schools were chosen colleges based on “Green Rating” scores (from 60 to 99) that the company tallied in summer 2014 for 861 colleges using data from its 2013-14 survey of school administrators on sustainability-related policies, practices, and programs. More than 25 data points were weighted in the assessment, and schools with Green Rating scores of 83 or higher made it into this guide; Clark’s rating is 95.
