Awards and National Recognition
"Sustainability isn't just a bandwagon we're hopping onto. It's woven into the very fabric of our identity, and history, as an institution."
President Purce, 2007
Evergreen is one of Planet Green's "Top 5 Green Colleges"
Whether you're heading off to college soon yourself or you've got a child about to make the big move, considering which colleges are green is important these days. More...
Evergreen Noted Among Sierra Club's Top 10 Coolest Schools for Commitment to Green Practices
Organic food? Check. Solar power, biodiesel buses, and composting? Check, check, check. Colleges large and small get their green on. More...
National Wildlife Federation Report Card on Sustainability
Recently, the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and Princeton Survey Research Associates International released their national report card on sustainability in higher education. They invited every college and university in the United States (over 4,000 institutions) to participate. 1,068 schools (or 27%) completed their survey. As you would expect, Evergreen was 1 of 334 campuses recognized for "exemplary" programs in sustainability.
Because this survey is one of the most comprehensive and widely referenced studies on nationwide trends in campus sustainability, it is worth noting their key findings. Since 2001, the National Wildlife Federation Report found three overarching nationwide trends in higher education:
- There is increased infrastructure and institutional commitment to sustainability. Indicators of this include, "increased goal-setting for improving performance, more staffing for sustainability programs, and a rise in orientation programs for students, faculty and staff on green practices."
- There is substantial improvement in the "greening" of campus operations. Indicators of this include improved energy and water conservation, increased use of clean, renewable energy to power the campus, and reduced waste.
- The amount of sustainability-related academic programs did not increase and may have actually decreased since 2001. The report stated, "Today's student is just as unlikely as in 2001 to graduate with exposure to basic ecological principles, much less with an understanding of how the human-designed economy can work in harmony with natural systems."
This last trend is deeply disconcerting. And while this is a national trend and not an Evergreen trend, it is an acute reminder of the enormous amount of work ahead of us. The challenge of living to see a more sustainable future is insurmountable if we do not teach and learn its' basic principles and concepts in our classrooms. More...
Evergreen Scores 98 out of 99 on The Princeton Review's New Green Rating System
The Princeton Review published its new Green Rating of colleges (a measure of how environmentally friendly the institutions are). The Princeton Review evaluated 534 colleges and universities and gave each institution a numerical score on a scale of 60 to 99. The Evergreen State College scored a very impressive 98! More...
Evergreen Gets 'Green' Funds
Evergreen received $75,000 for solar panels on the roof of the Daniel J. Evans Library to generate power and be incorporated into the "Curriculum for the BioRegion," a collaboration of 18 regional colleges working on environmental quality and sustainability. More...
Evergreen Listed Third "Greenest" College in America
When it comes to protecting the planet, many schools have given it more than a college try. In fact, America's institutions of higher learning are some of the best incubators of sustainable solutions to myriad problems, and they are molding and inspiring the bright minds that will inherit the environment from the current generation of leaders. More...
Evergreen Recognized in 2008 as one of the “Best Workplaces for Commuters” by the EPA
Evergreen was accepted for the following points:
- we provide the passport program to faculty and staff
- we provide a transit pass at no cost to faculty and staff, as well as a transit pass to students
- we provide an emergency ride home program to faculty and staff
- we provide lockers for commuters, as well as bike air pump stations for bicycle commuters
- we provide designated carpool spaces, as well as a parking permit for carpoolers
- we provide a rideshare program to connect commuters together
- we have a commute trip reduction staff person, as well as a student staffer
- we have a commute trip reduction program on campus
Learn more: http://www.bestworkplaces.org/
2007 Governor's Award for Pollution Prevention and Sustainable Practices
Evergreen “provides exceptional environmental study programs and emphasizes sustainability in building and operations.” Evergreen is “among 11 companies and agencies Washington is recognizing this year for their success in moving the state toward a more sustainable future.”
2007 AASHE Sustainability Leadership Award, Honorable Mention
One of six colleges or universities recognized nationally. Evergreen was noted for mitigating 100 percent of its electricity consumption through purchase of renewable energy credits, and for the fact that 40 percent of its food budget is locally grown and/or organic products.
2007 Thurston County Chamber “Green Business” Award
National Survey of Student Engagement: Evergreen is one of the most academically challenging colleges in the nation and has a high level of student/faculty engagement.
Governor Gregoire Honors Evergreen¹s Sustainability Efforts
Evergreen received the 2007 Governor¹s Award for Pollution Prevention and Sustainable Practices in a ceremony at the state capitol on Oct. 9. The college is among 11 companies and agencies Washington is recognizing this year for their success in moving the state toward a more sustainable future.
According to the Washington State Department of Ecology, the three state award winners (Evergreen, the Chambers Creek Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant and Yelm Earth, Worm & Castings Farm) reduced or even eliminated their use of toxic materials, applied key principles of sustainability, and conserved resources that otherwise would have been consumed. They demonstrated excellence and leadership through their commitment to environmental quality and their willingness to share their knowledge of pollution prevention and sustainable practices.
"These winners represent the best of the best at protecting the environment while running profitable businesses,² said Jay Manning, Department of Ecology director. ³I never fail to be impressed by the creativity and vision displayed by these award winners. They show that in Washington you can protect the environment and succeed commercially at the same time."
An external panel of judges selected the winners from finalists reviewed by Ecology staff. The judges are past winners, pollution-prevention experts, and representatives from business, labor and environmental groups, and academia.
National environmental news site Grist named Evergreen to its list of 15 Green Colleges and Universities in August of 2007. The digital news site, with more than 750,000 daily readers, cited the work of the Organic Farm and its partnership with campus food service, as well as composting and other environmentally friendly practices. Grist also lauded Evergreen¹s student-approved fee increase to purchase 100 percent green power.
2005 Outstanding Bicycle and Pedestrian Award from the Washington State Department of Transportation.
The parkway modernization project successfully reduced lanes of travel in front of our campus while creating new and improved bike and walking paths with no negative impacts.