The Princeton Review Releases Its Free Downloadable "Guide To 353 Green Colleges: 2015 Edition"

The Evergreen State College in Olympia is among the 353 greenest colleges in America, according to The Princeton Review, which today released its sixth annual free guide to the most environmentally responsible "green" colleges.

The Princeton Review's Guide to 353 Green Colleges: 2015 Edition profiles colleges with the most exceptional commitments to sustainability based on their academic offerings and career preparation for students, campus policies, initiatives, and activities. The profiles in the guide give college applicants information about each school's admission requirements, cost and financial aid, as well as student body facts and stats. The free 218-page guide is downloadable at www.princetonreview.com/green-guide.

"Among nearly 10,000 teens who participated in our 2015 College Hopes & Worries Survey, 61% told us that having information about a school's commitment to the environment would influence their decision to apply to or attend the college," said Robert Franek, The Princeton Review's Senior VP-Publisher. (A complete report on that survey is at www.princetonreview.com/college-hopes-worries.) "We strongly recommend the schools in this guide to environmentally-minded students who seek to study and live at green colleges."

The Princeton Review chose the 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. The survey asked them to report on their school's sustainability-related policies, practices, and programs. More than 25 data points were weighted in the assessment. Schools with Green Rating scores of 83 or higher made it into this guide. Most of the schools (347) in this edition are in the U.S. Five are in Canada. One is in Egypt.

According to Evergreen’s Director of Sustainability, Scott Morgan, “The college has put a lot of effort into institutionalizing environmentally friendly practices.” He cited energy conservation, purchasing practices, diverse menu options in the cafeteria and food sourcing. “Many of our support departments and staff express Evergreen’s values in their daily work. It’s always encouraging to speak with custodians, purchasing agents, administrative assistants, and many other staff all across the campus, who spend each working day keeping Evergreen green”.

The Princeton Review first published this guide in 2010. It remains the only free, annually updated downloadable guide to green colleges. The company is also known for its dozens of categories of college rankings in its annual books, The Best 379 Colleges and Colleges That Pay You Back.